Star-Crossed Revelations
by Lyanna Pond
Summary: Anakin Skywalker was kidnapped and never seen again. 10 years later, a mysterious Sith named Darth Vader and his army of Stormtroopers takes down the Republic. The Jedi have gone into hiding and several former Senate members have formed a Rebel Alliance. When Padmé is taken captive by the Sith himself, she realizes he is not the man she thought he was...
1. Prologue

**Hello everyone- I'm back! Super happy that I have some free time to write and hopefully make significant progress on this new story. I'm a huge fan of Padmé/Vader stories and I'm pretty sure I've read every single one on this site. That being said, I decided to write my own. At the beginning of the next chapter, I will explain all the changes I have made to the original films. For now, enjoy the prologue!**

As Anakin and Obi-Wan landed swiftly on the forest moon of Endor, Obi-Wan reached for his communicator to inform Master Windu that their journey had been safe and they had reached their destination.

"Why don't you like flying, Master?" asked the little blonde boy beside him.

Obi-Wan chuckled. "Just a personal preference, I suppose. Not all of us are interested in pod racing."

"Speaking of…" Anakin began, "Do you think I could do another one any time soon?"

"I don't believe so, Anakin," Obi-Wan responded. "Right now, we have to focus on your training. Plus, it makes me nervous seeing you put your life at stake at such a young age."

"Hey!" said Anakin. "I'm 10 now, remember? It's not like I'm 9 anymore!"

Obi-Wan laughed again as Mace answered his call. "Master Kenobi to Master Windu- we have reached our destination. Mission is a go."

"May the Force be with you," Mace replied.

"And you, as well, Master," said Obi-Wan before ending the call.

Obi-Wan reached for the latch to push the door open, struggling a bit with the rust. Anakin rolled his eyes.

"Why won't you just let me build you a new ship, Master?" the boy asked.

"Because I like this one," Obi-Wan responded, grunting as the door finally gave way.

"It's not very good for quick getaways," his Padawan pointed out.

"Well, luckily this is a diplomatic, peaceful mission," Obi-Wan countered, exiting the vehicle. Anakin followed. "Are you excited to learn some negotiation skills today?"

"Yeah, overjoyed," Anakin responded in a sarcastic tone.

Obi-Wan sighed. He had hoped that this mission would be an opportunity for Anakin to see that there was more to being a Jedi than robes and a lightsaber. He was grateful when the Masters had granted him permission to take Anakin along, but was beginning to regret it slightly.

"Now, Anakin," he started, ignoring the sarcasm, "today we are going to meet some creatures called Ewoks. They're small edgy little things and don't speak our language, so this will be a bit tricky. A dispute between two tribes began a little while ago when one tribe tried to build on the other's land. Our job is to make peace between the tribes. The leaders have agreed to meet us at a clearing in the forest not far from here."

Anakin nodded and followed closely behind his Master as they pushed through branches and stepped over roots. It took about ten minutes to reach the clearing, which was much larger than Obi-Wan had expected.

"This is a lot of open space for such a dense forest, Master," Anakin observed.

"You're right, my Padawan," Obi-Wan replied, analyzing the area. _Where are the Ewoks?_

He walked around the edge of the clearing, checking behind trees to see if they were hiding. Perhaps they were afraid of the Jedi or hesitant to begin negotiations.

"Look, Master!" yelled Anakin. Obi-Wan whirled around to see his Padawan in the middle of the clearing. "I found the direct center, just like you taught me when we were mapping!"

"That's great, Anakin!" Obi-Wan shouted back before redirecting his attention to the forest. Something wasn't right.

Suddenly, Obi-Wan was overwhelmed with a sensation he hadn't felt in quite a long time. Something was near. Something very dark…a Force-wielder of the Dark Side.

He looked up at the sky when he heard something entering the atmosphere. A large, black ship was getting lower…and headed their way.

Obi-Wan realized in horror that Anakin was standing directly in the open. "Get down, Anakin!" he shouted, but the groans of the ship's engine overpowered his voice.

Obi-Wan dashed toward his Padawan as the ship began to land beside Anakin. "Anakin- run!" he yelled, coughing from the dust that had been strewn up by the ship's landing.

He watched as one of the ship's lower doors opened and two men in white armor lurched toward Anakin, each grabbing one of his arms. "Master- help!" Anakin screamed.

Obi-Wan picked up his pace as he noticed his Padawan trying to reach for the lightsaber at his belt and failing. One of the men slapped him across the face when Anakin kicked him and Anakin howled.

Obi-Wan reached the ship just as the ominous black hatch was closing. He jumped up to grab hold of it, trying to pull himself in. An armored foot came crashing down on one of his hands, causing the Jedi Master to cry out in pain. With those fingers likely broken, he was hanging on with one hand as the ship began to take off. He could hear Anakin's voice growing fainter inside.

Obi-Wan realized that he would have to let go or else his other hand would be crushed in the hatch as it continued to close. "I'll find you!" he shouted, hoping that Anakin would hear him. "I'm coming for you!"

Obi-Wan reluctantly let go just in time and crashed to the ground, watching as the ship, dark and shiny like obsidian, raced off into the distance. Then, overcome with the shock of the fall, he himself faded into the distance…

* * *

Anakin was shoved into a small cell with four white walls and waited for what seemed like an eternity for the door to open. He had been planning all possible means of escape, but was shocked at the face before him.

"Hey- I know you!" said Anakin. "You were on Naboo."

"That's right, young one," the old man replied with a slithery tone that made Anakin shudder. "And it seems that you and I will become much better acquainted."

He turned to a guard behind him clad in the same white armor as the men who had abducted Anakin. "Escort our guest to more appropriate quarters," he ordered.

"Yes, Sir," the man responded, grabbing hold of Anakin's hair and dragging him out of the cell.

Anakin made no sound. Obi-Wan was coming for him- he was sure of it. He would be rescued soon.

* * *

It was a holiday on Naboo. Padmé Amidala walked through the busy streets, greeting and speaking with her subjects who were preparing for the festivities. As she stopped at a merchant's stand for some water for herself and her guards, she noticed a sign on the pole behind him.

"Excuse me, Sir," she said, "but could I see that sign?"

"Of course, Your Majesty," the man replied, pulling the paper off the pole and handing it to his Queen.

"Thank you," she said to him.

As Padmé looked down at the paper she was holding, a picture of a young boy with blue eyes stared back at her below bolded black letters that read "Missing". She clutched the Japor snippet around her neck, suddenly finding it a bit hard to breathe.

"A cup of water, please," she said to the merchant.

 _Oh Anakin, where are you?..._


	2. An Angel in a Dark Place

**Wow! Thank you all so much for the follows and positive feedback. I do hope I can live up to your expectations. I would first like to mention an important change made to the film for this chapter: Vader is suited, but does not have/need a respirator. Part of it will be explained here and the rest will be explained later in the story. Happy reading!**

 _10 years later…_

Vader paced back and forth on the bridge as he often did when he was frustrated. He hadn't apprehended any rebels in almost two weeks. The Emperor was likely beginning to assume that he had gotten lazy, which would mean punishment. Vader no longer screamed during the bursts of Force lightning that would course through his body, but the pain was still unbearable.

He heard footsteps approaching from behind- his loyal Admiral, Firmus Piett. If Vader was allowed to like people, he might actually like Piett. Today, he sensed that Piett was not at all nervous to be in his presence, but almost a bit excited. Vader turned to face him and looked down, as the black suit he adorned added a bit to his already monstrous height.

"My Lord," Piett announced, "I am pleased to inform you that we have intercepted a communication between two rebels. It seems that a man from Alderaan was sending along construction plans for a future rebel base to a woman on Naboo. The location of this base was not stated during their conversation, but we were able to trace the exact locations of both rebels."

"Excellent," Vader responded. "I expect them on this ship and detained for questioning by tomorrow afternoon."

"Yes, my Lord," Piett replied, before hurrying off to perform his assigned task with a slight nod of his head.

Vader halted his pacing and headed back to his quarters. None of his Stormtroopers did so much as move a limb when Vader walked by- they never knew what mood he was in. Vader liked it this way. Fear produced a loyal staff.

Although Vader appreciated Piett always coming to him for permission, he wondered why the oaf doesn't just perform simple tasks such as this and present him with the results. The conversation was the same every time: if you find rebels, bring them here. Not that difficult.

Vader quickly removed his mask and helmet after locking the door. Sometimes the suit was suffocating, but it was necessary. The Emperor had suggested it when Vader first revealed himself to the public a couple years ago- he thought that "the man behind the mask" would be more intimidating. Vader hated to admit that he was right.

But sometimes the suit was a comfort to him. He hated undressing and looking in the mirror. His right arm and the lower half of his right leg were mechanical- all machine with nothing left of the man he once was. The upper half of that leg, parts of his torso and back, and worst of all, the right half of his face, were covered in burn scars that would never fade. The hair on that side of his head had only grown back as tiny blonde wisps, though the incident that led to his gruesome appearance was far in the past.

He would kill his Master for it someday. Vader would plan the murder strategically so that he would not fail. He would become ruler of the galaxy and do things his way. He just needed to wait for the proper timing.

* * *

Padmé sat impatiently in the corner of her cell- a small unit with four shiny, thick grey walls, one of which was an impenetrable sliding door. She knew the cells surrounding hers were probably filled with more of what the man in the white suit who captured her referred to as "rebel scum". She dearly hoped that one of them was not designated for her friend, Bail Organa, with whom she had spoken just a few hours earlier.

Her arrest had been quick. A Stormtrooper barged into her lake house on Naboo, stunned her handmaidens, and knocked her out. Having detached herself from politics, Padmé had assumed she'd be safe there without guards. She thought her participation with the Rebel Alliance had been discreet- she never attended any off-planet meetings and only engaged in communications with her closest companions.

 _What could the Empire possibly have to use against me?_

Padmé could only hope that her death would be swift, though she knew this to be unlikely. Very few rebels had survived the interrogation process and those who did and managed to earn their freedom had been tortured into joining the Empire. Padmé would rather die than fight for the enemy.

To pass the minutes, which might very well be her last, she thought back to better times. She was Queen of Naboo and Palpatine was just Palpatine, not the Sith Lord he later revealed himself to be. The Jedi were free to practice their art and help maintain peace in the galaxy. She remembered the first time she met Obi-Wan Kenobi, and wondered how he was doing, hiding out on Tatooine. Obi-Wan and Yoda were the only Jedi left in the galaxy, and only one could attend each Rebel Alliance meeting, so she had only seen him a couple times since the fall of the Republic. It would be too dangerous to have both of them in one place should their location be compromised.

Padmé remembered her own experience on Tatooine meeting little Anakin Skywalker. He was determined to become a Jedi himself. Most of the galaxy assumed him to be dead when he didn't turn up after a few years. The ship that had taken him was never found. The identity of his kidnapper was never determined.

Padmé didn't know why, but she felt a strong connection to the boy. She was there when Master Yoda and Obi-Wan informed his mother. Padmé had clutched the Japor snippet he'd made for her, watching as his mother cried. There was anger- the people who had taken her son away to a better life had led him to death. But most of all there was fear. There was fear that he could still be alive and in much worse hands than the Hutts or Watto.

Padmé grabbed hold of that very necklace now. She had begun to think of it as her good luck charm and had worn it every day for the past ten years…except one day. Empire Day. The day Darth Vader appeared on Coruscant. Even though she knew it was her own superstition, she believed that not wearing the Japor snippet that day had somehow contributed to the events. It was as if Anakin Skywalker decided the fate of the galaxy and she had masked his presence.

Vader had slaughtered Jedi younglings and Knights and Masters like animals while the Emperor revealed himself and took down the Senate. Stormtroopers roamed the streets, shooting civilians who dared to question the new government. Padmé was lucky to escape- many of her political companions were left behind, their fates either embracing the Empire or death.

She suddenly heard heavy stomps getting closer and closer, interrupting her dark reverie.

 _This is it- he's coming for me._

When the door slid open to reveal the man in the black suit himself, Padmé tensed, but he did nothing…just stared at her. He stared for what felt to her like hours, but was really only seconds.

When Vader shifted his weight, Padmé flinched, anticipating whatever pain was about to be directed toward her, but none came.

"Excuse me," he said, and, turning to walk away, the door slid shut behind him.

* * *

It was her. It was actually her.

Vader stomped past the cells and through the corridors, trying to make sense of his racing thoughts.

"Are you alright, my Lord?" asked Piett as he passed one of the control rooms.

"Not now, Piett!" Vader shouted back.

He continued to move, pacing through the maze of corridors.

He couldn't believe she was here. His angel. _No- Anakin Skywalker's angel_. Vader cursed himself for this moment of weakness and the walls around him shook.

He stopped to lean against a wall. "Leave me!" he shouted at two nearby troopers, who immediately abandoned their posts.

So Padmé was a rebel. That much didn't surprise him. She was very strong-willed and democratic when he'd met her all those years ago.

But that's all she should be- another rebel to torture or turn. Vader was no longer Anakin. The boy who had felt an attachment to this woman was gone.

But her eyes. Those brief seconds he had stared into those chocolate eyes that held so much fear toward him, yet so much strength, but mostly buckets of animosity.

His angel hated him.

 _No, stop. It was years ago. She probably doesn't even remember me._

"I AM DARTH VADER!" Vader screamed aloud, slamming his fists into the wall behind him, leaving significant dents. He had not thought of Anakin, the boy who lived before him, in a long time. The sudden mental conflict was too much to bear.

Vader took a deep breath. "I am Darth Vader," he repeated in a lower voice. Straightening up, he turned on his heels and slowly made his way back to the cells.


	3. Strange Encounters

Padmé remained in the corner of her cell, pondering her brief encounter with Lord Vader. He was taller than she'd expected, and equally as menacing. But his actions were…puzzling. Although she could not see his eyes behind the mask, she could almost feel them piercing through her own as if he were staring into her mind. Perhaps that's what he was doing- reading her mind. _Could Vader read minds?_

And then there was the unusual politeness. Padmé did not think that the words "excuse me" were anywhere in Vader's vocabulary. If he needed to excuse himself, he'd likely just get up and go. If he needed someone to move out of his way, he'd just shove them. Because he's Vader.

She heard the footsteps again, but found them slightly less frightening and more intriguing this time. The door slid open to reveal the figure in black before her. His introduction to her was less polite than their last meeting.

"Where is the rebel base?" Vader snapped.

Padmé was caught off-guard. How could he know about a base that hadn't been built yet?

 _Control your thoughts, Padmé- he might be reading your mind…_

"What base?" she replied, channeling her inner former Queen to keep her face as still and unreadable as possible.

Vader took two steps toward her and she pressed herself against the wall, unable to move any further away from him. "The base you and your rebels are building!" Vader shouted at her. "My men intercepted a communication earlier today between you and your rebel friend Organa."

Padmé immediately lost composure of her face, letting the concern for her friend show. "Bail?" she asked. "Is he alright?"

"We're holding him here," Vader answered, slyly evading her question. "Now tell me where the base is."

"It's not a base," Padmé responded. "It's a camp for slave refugees from the Outer Rim. Now, I know even the Empire doesn't endorse slavery. Therefore, you should be supporting this operation."

"Even if that were true," Vader began, "the Empire would know about it. And I solidly guarantee that although we do not encourage slavery, we do not put any time or effort into such worthless planets."

"It's an undercover operation from the Emperor," Padmé countered, taking a step forward to prove her boldness. "Operation Red Sand."

"You're digging yourself into a deeper hole with each lie," Vader sneered, stepping forward until they were only about a foot apart. "Tell me where the base is, and this will all be over quickly."

"I guess I should thank you for offering me a swift death, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to refuse," Padmé replied.

She mentally braced herself for some infliction of pain, but still none came. _I just blatantly sassed the Dark Lord of the Sith and the Emperor's Second-in-Command- why aren't I half-dead yet?_

He was doing the thing again- the staring thing. Their closeness made it even more obvious. She forced herself not to look away from the mask, not to show weakness. Unable to hold his supposed gaze any longer, she blurted out, "Please don't look at me like that."

Vader took another step forward, their bodies now only inches apart. "Why not?" he asked.

"It makes me uncomfortable," said Padmé as she turned her back and made her way to the other corner of the cell.

"As you wish, my lady," Vader responded.

The door slid open behind him without him pushing any buttons and he made yet another swift exit. 

* * *

Vader's head was burning. Pure, fiery rage flowed throughout his mind like the lavas of Mustafar. Not only had he failed to interrogate her again, but he had showed her weakness. _As you wish, my lady?_ What on Hoth had possessed him to say such a thing?

This was unacceptable. He could not let this woman think she had any power over him. Vader was the only one that could control Vader, with the exception of Sidious, of course. He scowled at this thought.

His conversation with Padmé had brought up another nostalgic moment for him. His main goal during his rise to power had always been to free the slaves. The Emperor seemed to find it a trivial issue, so it had been pushed aside. Operation Red Sand…not such a bad idea. That would be his first course of action when Vader overthrew his Master. _Padmé would make a good Empress someday…_

Anakin was a slave once. Perhaps that's why Vader felt such a close attachment to the issue.

"I am Lord Vader, I am Lord Vader," Vader muttered under his breath as he stalked past rows of cells. "I am not Anakin, I am Lord Vader. Padmé is my prisoner."

Yet he couldn't bring himself to torture her. He didn't know why, but each time he began to embrace his Force choke or Force push or Force anything around her besides Force-opening-a-door, it was as if all his Dark Side training eluded him. He needed to get rid of her, and quickly.

Suddenly, Vader had a brilliant idea. He may not be able to torture _her_ , but there was someone he could to get her to talk… 

* * *

_"Please don't look at me like that."_

 _"Why not?"_

 _"It makes me uncomfortable…"_

Padmé awoke from her restless sleep with a jolt. She couldn't seem to get more than a few minutes at a time. She was too busy analyzing their second encounter from the night before and trying to put a face to the man behind the mask. What color was his skin? His hair? Did he even have hair?

 _Why the hell does it matter, Padmé?_

As if on cue, the door slid open again and she sat up to face the mystery man. "I see we meet again," she said.

"Yes, and this time you WILL tell me the truth," Vader commanded. "Guards!"

Two Stormtroopers dragged forward a bloodied Bail Organa. It appeared that a clump of his dark hair had been ripped out and there were holes in his pantlegs, revealing bruised knees. His face was covered in scrapes and one rather deep gash.

Padmé cried out. "What have you done to him?!"

"Surprisingly, this is not my work," Vader answered. "Your friend here has been a bit of a nuisance to my troopers. Unfortunately, because of your lack of willingness to tell me what I want to know, I'm going to have to add a few more bruises myself…"

"Don't…tell him anything…Padmé," panted Bail. He coughed once before Vader slowly clenched one fist together, initiating a slight Force choke.

"Stop it!" Padmé screamed. "Let him go!"

* * *

Vader held onto his Force choke a bit longer, showing the woman that he did not take orders from her. The power felt so invigorating. But there was her voice again- "Leave him alone!"

Vader released Organa from his grasp and let him fall to the cement, gasping for air, and signaled for his troopers to leave. He turned his attention to Padmé…who was crying. He had made his Angel cry.

"Just tell me what I want to know," Vader ordered, "and I will end this. I…I won't kill him." It was a reluctant phrase for Vader to utter, but he sensed it was the only way to get through to Padmé.

She took a deep breath. "Dantooine," Padmé answered quietly, keeping her eyes locked on her friend. "The base is being built on Dantooine."

"Good," Vader replied. "You've been very helpful."

Vader pulled a reluctant, wincing Organa to his feet and slid the door open.

"What about me?" he heard Padmé call from behind him.

"I'll think of something," he called back, shutting the door quickly before she could escape.

Vader then turned his attention to the man from Alderaan. "Will you join the Empire?"

Organa spat and turned to look at him defensively. "Never."

 _He won't join me, and I can't kill him, so…_

Vader had a brilliant idea.

"Guards!" he shouted, and two Stormtroopers were immediately at his side. "Take Mr. Organa to level four. I think it's about time we test my new memory eraser."

"Yes, Sir," both troopers replied as they grabbed hold of Bail.

"Do as you wish," the man said to Vader, "but please don't hurt Padmé."

"You have my word," Vader replied as his troopers carried on with his order.

Vader grew frustrated with himself once again. Why was he making promises to these rebel scum? Why didn't he just kill both of them like he had with the rest?

And now…what was he to do with Padmé? Surely she would become a horrible distraction and she hated everything about him, but Vader felt as if the Force had brought them together again for a reason. It would just take him a bit of time and a lot of willpower to find out what that reason was… 

**Thanks again for your support! Let me know if you enjoyed this update.**


	4. Toxic Company

Vader sat quietly in his personal chambers contemplating the day's events. His discussion with Padmé had proven to be rather fruitful, and his test of the memory wiper was beyond a success. Organa didn't even remember his own name. It was therefore quite simple to manipulate him into sending a message to the rebels that it was time for construction of the base to begin. Vader proceeded to station a hundred troopers on Dantooine to await their arrival. The rebels would never see it coming.

As for the amnesiac Organa himself, he commanded one of his captains to take a short detour to Tatooine. The rebel scum would fit right in with the scumbags of that wretched planet.

Just as he was about to remove his helmet and rest for a bit, his communicator beeped.

 _The Emperor._

Vader placed the device on a small table and a hologram of the hooded figure appeared. He could've sworn the old man's nose had gotten larger.

Vader knelt and bowed his head in forced respect. "What is thy bidding, my Master?"

"Rise, Lord Vader," the Emperor ordered. "I would like a report on the latest rebel activity."

Vader internally sighed with relief that he had good news to deliver. "Due to a successful interrogation of a couple important prisoners, construction of a new rebel base on Dantooine has been thwarted."

"Very good," the Emperor replied in a deep, slithery tone. "I take it that these important leaders have been disposed of?"

Vader gulped, but did not hesitate. "Yes, Master."

"Excellent," the Emperor responded. "Perhaps the rebels will take a hint from the deaths of not one, but two superiors. They only grow weaker by the day. Soon, they must abandon their cause or they will all be subjected to the power of the Dark Side. I expect another report in two weeks."

"Yes, my Master," Vader answered as the hologram of Darth Sidious faded.

He quickly grabbed the communicator and threw it violently to the far side of the room. If Sidious were to find out that he had let the prisoners live, the consequences would surely be severe…

But his overarching struggle was the simple question: Why? Why had he lied to his Master in favor of two powerless rebels?

Vader removed his helmet and mask and stripped down to the black shirt and sweatpants he wore beneath the heavy suit. He ran his flesh hand through his hair and had the brilliant idea to cut some of it and have it transplanted to the bare half of his scalp.

 _Rebels, Vader. Focus on the rebels._

But the more he focused on the rebels, the more frustrated he grew. His head ached from trying to come up with a solution to this conflict.

Vader lay back on his rock-solid mattress, hoping that sleep would give his mind a break, but he found himself just staring at the gray ceiling that matched the gray walls surrounding him. He sat up, deciding that in order to solve this, he would need to face the source directly.

* * *

 _"Are you an Angel?"_

 _She looked at the little blonde-haired boy, a bit startled. "What?"_

" _An angel," the boy elaborated. "I've heard the deep space pilots talk about them. They're the most beautiful creatures in the universe. They live on the moon of Iego, I think."_

 _She smiled, a bit flattered. "You're a funny little boy. How do you know so much?"_

 _"I listen to all the traders and star pilots who came through here," he explained. "I'm a_

 _pilot, you know, and someday I'm going to fly away from this place."  
_

" _You're a pilot?" she asked, admiring the young boy's sense of adventure.  
_

" _Mhm. All my life."  
_

" _How long have you been here?" she replied, suddenly curious.  
_

" _Since I was very little, three, I think," the boy answered casually. "My Mom and I were sold to Gardulla the Hutt, but he lost us betting on the pod races."  
_

" _You're a slave?" she asked in horror.  
_

" _I'm a person and my name is Anakin..."_

Padmé was suddenly pulled from the first peaceful sleep she'd gotten since being aboard _The Executor_ by the dreaded sound of the sliding door. It took her a moment to come to her senses- the dream had been so vivid, as if its events had taken place only yesterday. She found herself subconsciously grabbing the Japor snippet as if it would somehow save her from whatever was coming next.

She sat up and found herself facing Vader himself yet again. He was holding a tray of something that looked barely edible.

"I brought you some food," he said. Padmé noted that he was fond of very direct greetings.

"What time is it?" she half-grumbled.

"3AM in standard hours, I believe," Vader replied, shutting the door.

 _3 AM? Why the hell did Vader wake her at 3 AM?_

"What do you want?" Padmé asked, determined to follow his pattern of bluntness.

"For you to eat something," Vader replied, holding out the tray.

"That looks disgusting," she said.

"It is," said Vader, "but unfortunately we do not serve gourmet meals here, Padmé."

"Don't call me that," Padmé snapped.

"What would you prefer then?" Vader asked.

Padmé frowned. How did she want Vader to address her?

"Senator," she decided. "Or perhaps 'woman I'm holding against her will'."

"I like Senator," Vader responded, ignoring her snarky comment. "Eat."

Padmé was surprised at his next actions. Darth Vader sank to the ground and sat across from her at her level, placing the tray of mush between them. She could no longer deny her hunger and gave in.

"Do you hand-deliver this crap to all your prisoners?" she asked, a bit surprised at her confidence.

"No," said Vader.

A few moments of silence ensued before Padmé decided to break the awkwardness.

"What did you do with Bail?" she asked.

"I didn't torture or kill him," Vader replied.

Padmé could tell he was being honest and did not press for further details. She spit out a small piece of something oddly crunchy. "Want some?" she said to Vader.

"I'll pass," he replied, initiating another uncomfortable staring session. Padmé was determined not to look away this time.

"Is it because you don't want to take your mask off?" she inquired.

"It's because I just ate some of that shit and don't really want any more," Vader answered.

Padmé almost smiled, but caught herself. _I can't smile at Darth Vader!_

She had to admit that his honesty was starting to freak her out a bit. And she still hadn't figured out why he was here. As she continued to stare at the mask, imagining what horrible creature could possibly be hiding behind it, Padmé realized that she was neutralized to his presence. Though she didn't enjoy it, she was no longer afraid of the Sith Lord. He wasn't going to hurt her. Why, she was unsure. But she knew she was safe.

* * *

Vader watched intently as the woman before him slowly devoured her meal, her long brown curls messy from a few days without brushing. How he longed to run his fingers through them, tending to each strand of hair with absolute care…

He had thought this visit would clarify things for him, but his thoughts and feelings were growing more complicated with each passing second. His hunger for the power of the Dark Side was no match for the sheer presence of this woman. He craved it, needed it.

She was calming. When he was around her, he could forget his duties and the Emperor and everything that made up the half-man, half-machine that was Vader. This was dangerous, though. A great threat to all he had accomplished.

"You still haven't told me what you want," the angelic voice stated, interrupting his revelations.

 _You. I want you._

"Just…some company," Vader replied, immediately regretting it.

"So you're keeping me around…because you're lonely?" Padmé replied, setting down her spoon.

"Padmé…uh, Senator," he began before she interrupted again.

"Lord Vader, you should know that you and I can never be acquaintances," Padmé stated, assuming a stiff senatorial tone. "Everything we stand for and believe in is different and I am disgusted by your very existence!" She paused and looked away, lowering her voice. "I would like to go home, please. If you really do have any decency, you'll allow me this."

Vader looked away, as well. Her harsh words had prompted a sudden turn in his current state.

"You're disgusted by me?!" he shouted, rising to his feet and not caring if the troopers outside the cell could hear. The walls shook, small cracks forming here and there. "Why? WHY?! Do you not understand?"

Vader watched as Padmé trembled, trying to get as far away from him as possible while still maintaining her balance. She clutched the tray white-knuckled as if preparing to use it in self-defense. Oh, how he wanted to hurt her. No one, NO ONE, was permitted to speak to Lord Vader as she had. Did she not sense how much he cared about her?

"Please, stop," she pleaded, but her voice was distant to him. "JUST STOP!"

Vader was brought back to reality and the room ceased to shake. He looked down at Padmé, not in tears like the last time he had lost control, but simply maintaining an unreadable expression. He tried to reach out to the Force to see what she was feeling, but he was unable to get through.

At a loss for words, he stormed out of the cell with no "goodbye" or "good night" or "sleep well" as he'd intended their conversation to end. She would pay for this.

 **Thanks to all my new and returning followers and reviewers. Hope you all enjoyed the new movie!**


	5. A Game of Trust

It had been three days since Vader's encounter with Padmé and he had yet to punish her. He walked past her cell every four hours or so trying to think of ways to go about it, and thought of many, but could not find the strength to carry out his ideas.

As he approached the main control room, several of his loyal men turned and bowed their heads, Piett included. "A word alone, Piett," he insisted, ignoring the other men.

Piett visibly gulped as he followed Vader into the corridor.

Vader glanced down at him. "I need you to find me a rebel. Any rebel."

"My Lord, we're working on it," said Piett. "Unfortunately they are very skilled at hiding. I assure you though that we will have many as soon as they arrive on Dantooine and the ambush begins."

"That's not good enough!" Vader shouted, causing Piett to stiffen. "I need one now!"

Piett allowed a couple moments of silence for Vader to cool down before proceeding. "If I may ask, Sir, what is it that you need the rebel for?"

"Not that it's any of your business, Piett," Vader snapped, "but I need someone to torture in front of our female rebel guest that between you and me, the Emperor presumes to be dead, so you better not say a word to anyone."

"Of course not," Piett answered quickly. "Does she have more information valuable to our cause? Perhaps you could use the mind probe."

"No!" Vader exclaimed, but quickly realized that Piett would begin to suspect something if he was holding a rebel prisoner who had no further information to offer. "I mean, yes. Yes, she does have more information. But no mind probe. She cares not for her own body being subjected to physical pain and responds more when faced with the pain of others. A terrible weakness."

"Perhaps she may have a family that could be useful," Piett suggested.

Vader admired the man's thinking and had to admit that it was a good idea, but did he really want to go as far as to torture one of Padmé's relatives in front of her just because she denied his companionship?

 _No. I will just have to try something else. I'll do things her way._

"Look into it," Vader said to Piett. "I want their contact information, but do not capture them without my consent. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Lord Vader," Piett answered with a salute. "I shall find you as soon as I acquire this information."

Vader dismissed Piett and headed to the main hangar. He commanded a group of mechanics working on a broken fighter engine to leave. He needed something to keep his mind busy. Vader had always enjoyed fixing things- he found life to be much simpler.

 _Anakin liked fixing things too._

Vader resisted the urge to stab his flesh hand with the wrench he was holding for thinking about his past again. _She is doing this to me._

And yet instead of disposing of Padmé, a massive, hazardous risk to his Dark Side training, he was about to give her a gift.

* * *

This time when Vader showed up, Padmé was awake. She found it hard to sleep when she was haunted with so many questions from his last visit. What did he mean by "you don't understand"? What didn't she understand?

She didn't look up from her book when she heard the door slide open. Padmé did not want to give Vader the satisfaction of thinking she cared about his visit.

"Where did you get that?" Vader asked.

"One of my guards," said Padmé as she pretended to keep reading. "You don't think they just stand around and do nothing but guard an impenetrable cell all day, do you?" She looked up at his mask, making sure her face was void of any emotion. "Kurt was done with this one."

"Who the hell is Kurt?" said Vader.

"He's the one on your left when you walked in," Padmé replied. "Hi, Kurt!"

She waved to the man in the white armor outside the cell, whio glanced nervously over his shoulder for a moment before assuming his soldier position.

"You will refer to my troopers by their designated numbers and nothing else," Vader growled, slamming the door shut.

Padmé looked back at her novel and did not respond. Frustrating Lord Vader was becoming one of her favorite hobbies. She was annoyed when he continued talking.

"What's it about?" the deep voice asked.

"Huh?" Padmé responded, looking toward him again.

"The book," Vader clarified.

"Oh," said Padmé. "Well it's about a mysterious creature in a hideous black suit that captures an innocent girl and refuses to let her go for unknown obnoxious reasons."

"Really?" Vader responded.

Padmé narrowed her eyes. "No, of course not," she replied, making sure to place extra emphasis on Vader's stupidity.

She memorized what page she was on before slamming the book shut and placing it next to her. "So why are you here this time?"

"I was here to give you something, but it appears that my motives have been altered slightly. Come with me."

"What?" Padmé responded, wondering if she'd heard him correctly. Was she really going to leave this cell? Was he taking her to some lethal torture chamber, or was he setting her free?

She stood up, not really caring as long as she could see something other than grey walls.

"Follow me," Vader ordered, opening the door with the Force. She was secretly a bit impressed every time he did it. In her experiences with Masters Yoda and Obi-Wan, they liked to keep their use of the Force to a minimum.

"Where are we going?" Padmé questioned as she struggled to keep up with the tall beast, who gave her no answer. He didn't even bother to handcuff her- she could run anytime…but where to go? She looked left and right as they passed through hallways, searching for anything that looked like it might lead to a hangar.

"You know you can't run," said Vader without turning around or slowing his pace. "It would be incredibly foolish since I am faster and stronger and can kill you instantly."

 _So he can read minds._

"But you won't," Padmé countered.

"You don't know that, Senator," said Vader, "unless you think you've suddenly developed the power to read minds."

"I haven't," Padmé responded, "so it's only fair that you stay out of mine."

Vader made a sound that might have been a chuckle and halted at a large steel door guarded by four troopers and turned to face her. "Contrary to popular belief, I can't read minds. I'm just not stupid."

Padmé found this to be almost a relief as Vader punched in a code to open the door. It automatically shut behind them when they stepped through. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight before her.

It was a bedroom. A huge bedroom with virtually no decorations and grey surrounding her on all sides. _Well, I know what Vader's favorite color is._

And in the middle of the room was an extra-large black bedframe with only a mattress.

 _I'm in Vader's bedroom. Why am I in Vader's bedroom?_

"You should really get some sheets," Padmé noted, unsure of what else to say.

Vader ignored her comment. "Shower's through there," he said, pointing at a black door.

Padmé began to panic. Was this how he planned to kill her? Death by shower? How would he do it? Would he bang her head on the wall or strangle her with her own wet hair while she was stark naked? Or perhaps the shower was not actually a shower and would really spew lava on her when she turned it on and she would burn to death...

"It's not a trick, Senator," said Vader. "You just smell really bad."

Padmé didn't know whether or not to be offended. She knew she should refuse this- he would want something in return.

 _But it's been so long…_

She decided to take him up on the offer. At least if it was a trap, she would die clean.

* * *

Vader waited impatiently on the edge of his mattress. How long could the woman possibly need to wash?

He was relieved when he finally saw the door crack open and Padmé stepped through.

She was beautiful. He had never realized how long her hair really was until now. The water had smoothed out the curls and it flowed down her back like a waterfall of dark chocolate. It perfectly complimented her…wet outfit.

"Did you shower with clothes on?" Vader asked, commenting on the soaking, probably expensive, blue gown.

"No," Padmé answered, "but since I figured you wouldn't have any spare women's clothing hanging around, I washed this too. Now what do you want?"

"It's actually something you want," Vader answered, pulling out his communicator. He dearly hoped this would work to earn her trust. "I'm calling your parents."

"What?!" Padmé screamed, reaching for the device.

"I know how badly you want to go home," Vader answered, "but this is all I'm offering you right now. You will tell them that you're fine- you're on vacation, meeting with your rebel friends, make something up. Then I will leave you alone for a few minutes so you can catch up."

Padmé glanced at him, confusion evident in her eyes. "Why are you doing this?" she asked.

Vader typed in the information Piett had given him and waited for a connection.

* * *

Padmé's face lit up when holograms of her parents appeared before her.

"Oh, sweetie- it's you!" her mother, Jobal, exclaimed. "We were getting so worried- you haven't answered your comm in a week!"

"I know, I'm sorry, Mom," said Padmé. She quickly glanced to the side, where Vader was sitting out of view. "I'm…off world. On business."

 _Please trace this call, Mom._

Her father, Ruwee, sighed. "Padmé, I thought you decided not to get caught up in all this…business."

"I know," Padmé responded. "Unfortunately I had no choice."

"Why are you all wet?" Jobal asked skeptically.

"I…fell in a lake," Padmé replied. "You know me, always clumsy. Near death experience. That's why I decided to call- to let you guys know how much I love you."

Padmé dearly hoped her parents would pick up on her situation. If the lake and near-death experience weren't giveaways, her parents certainly knew she wasn't clumsy.

 _Trace the damn call._

"I see," Ruwee answered, his face displaying some confusion, but no obvious signs of disbelief. "Well, we're glad you're alright."

True to his words, Padmé watched from the corner of her eye as Vader rose and left her alone. _I can't tell them- he's listening. He might not be here, but he's still listening._

Padmé struggled to think of subtle ways to tell her parents she was being held aboard the _Executor_ , but none came to her as she listened to her mother speak joyfully about her grandchildren, the kids of Padmé's sister, Sola. Perhaps if she kept her mouth shut and earned Vader's trust, then she would be able to escape on her own anyway.

Padmé was disappointed when the call ended and Lord Vader reappeared, his looming figure maintaining a respectable distance. She began to approach him to give back his communicator, but he snatched it from her hand with the Force and let it slowly float toward him, catching it gracefully.

 _Show-off._

"Thank you," Padmé said, "for letting me talk to my family."

Vader didn't respond, which Padmé expected. She wondered if he'd ever said "you're welcome". Then again, Vader had surprised her with his seemingly genuine actions multiple times in the past week, so anything was possible at this point. Was he trying to earn her trust, just as she was trying to earn his? Even if she was unable to get to the bottom of his mysterious behavior, Padmé wouldn't give up on going home.


	6. My Only Hope

Vader grumbled as he changed into his suit and fastened the mask and helmet. He had been informed that Piett was waiting outside for him and that it was urgent.

He opened the steel door to see Piett standing alone with a slightly terrified look adorning his face. "What is it, Piett?" Vader snapped.

"My Lord," he responded, "it seems that we have been tricked."

"What do you mean?" Vader said, taking a step toward him.

"Um, well…" Piett began to explain, "the rebels arrived on Dantooine about an hour ago…in fighters."

"How many men did we lose?" Vader sneered, barely containing his rage. Piett took a small step back. "How many, Piett?!"

"Three-quarters of the troopers we had stationed, Sir," Piett answered meekly.

Vader shouted in rage, Force-pushing two of his guards. They quickly stood up and resumed their positions as if nothing happened.

"How did this happen?" Vader yelled.

"Just a theory, Lord Vader," Piett suggested, "but perhaps the girl lied to us about the base's location. When you had Organa send out that transmission for construction to begin on Dantooine, they must have figured out he'd been captured and where we would be waiting for them..."

Vader slammed Piett against a wall without use of the Force, gripping his collar. "If something like this happens again," Vader threatened, "I will personally see to it that you receive the same fate as Organa."

Piett did not squirm. "Yes, my Lord," he responded.

Vader released him and began his short walk to the prison level. Unsure of what to do with Padmé, he had brought her back there after her visit to his private quarters a few days ago. He had given her a larger cell with padding to sleep on, but did not visit her due to lack of plausible excuses to do so. But he certainly had one now, and it was not going to be pretty…

* * *

Padmé heard Vader's clunky footsteps approaching and found herself almost getting a bit excited. Perhaps he would finally release her...

But as soon as he entered, she realized this would not be the case. "Liar!" he shouted, grabbing hold of both her arms. He was squeezing tightly and Padmé winced. "Where is the base?"

"I told you where it is," Padmé answered, crying out in pain as he squeezed harder.

"Then why were my men just subjected to a surprise rebel attack on Dantooine?" Vader asked, still shouting.

Padmé felt a small spark of pride. Not only had she successfully diverted the Empire from the base's true location, but the rebels had even launched a seemingly effective attack.

"Tell me, Padmé," Vader demanded, shoving her against a wall. She banged her head slightly, but still maintained her composure. He leaned in closer. "Tell me where it is."

Padmé looked directly at the eyes of his mask and said, "No."

Vader released her arms and slapped her across the face. Padmé rubbed her cheek in shock, and perhaps it was the shock that prompted her to slap him back. Clearly Vader did not see it coming, as he just stood there, stunned.

 _I'm dead. I'm actually dead._

"I thought we could trust each other, Senator," he said quietly in an undecipherable tone.

"Trust?" Padmé replied, trying to hang onto her confidence. "How can you expect me to trust the man who wanted to kill all my friends?"

"I have never lied to you!" Vader shouted. "And you lied to me. From the day I met you, I have always been honest, but all you have done is lie to me. Lie about the rebels, hell, you lied about being Queen!"

"What?" said Padmé. Her previous conversations with Vader had certainly been confusing, but this one trumped all of them. "Lord Vader, what are you talking about?"

Surprisingly, Vader just stepped back and retreated from the cell, perhaps in regret of his prior statement.

Padmé found that after a few minutes, her cheek was not in as much pain as she'd expected- perhaps he'd gone easy on her. She tried to analyze his words, but could reach no logical conclusions.

 _Lied about being Queen? When did I ever even mention to him that I was once Queen of Naboo? Did Vader even exist when I was Queen?_

She realized that she would have to try a new strategy to get the answers she needed. If Vader wouldn't trust her, perhaps there was something else she could offer him…

* * *

 _Anakin stood with Master Qui-Gon and a young Obi-Wan before a fat, ugly creature._

 _A Gungan- I think it's called a Gungan._

 _Queen Amidala of Naboo was trying to reason with the creature, hoping that they could join forces against a Trade Federation droid army that had invaded their planet. The Gungan clearly was not convinced._

 _Suddenly, a very young, but just as beautiful, Padmé stepped forward. "I am Queen Amidala," she stated. "This is my decoy, my protection, my loyal bodyguard. Forgive us for our deception, but it was necessary."_

 _Although a tiny piece of Anakin had always known the truth, he was still a bit shocked. His Angel, with whom he had spent so much time on Tatooine, was Queen of a whole planet…and didn't tell him. Why did she tell this slimy Gungan before him? Did she not trust him?_

 _Why did my Angel lie to me?_

Vader awoke in a sweat, panting. He sat up and held his head in his hands. He had not dreamed of Anakin in many years and was badly shaken.

He pulled on one of his many pairs of black sweatpants and headed to wash the sweat off his face. The towel slipped through his mechanical fingers and he cursed.

But as Vader bent over to pick it up, he noticed something on the floor beside it…a small carved wooden necklace with a simple chain.

 _Anakin's Japor snippet._

Still shaking, he picked it up with his flesh hand, trying to make sense of the situation.

 _Padmé. She must have been wearing it when we captured her and took it off to shower…_

He closed his hand around the necklace and a whirl of strange emotions flowed through him. The Japor snippet held an undeniable connection to the Light Side, but his fear of these feelings automatically brought him back to the Dark.

Vader realized that the sensation overwhelming him was disbelief. After more than a decade, why was Padmé still wearing a silly necklace his younger self had carved for her?

Despite wanting to renounce all his connections to Anakin Skywalker, especially after the dream, something was telling him that he needed to return it to Padmé. He forced himself to forget all the anger he had expressed toward her earlier that day and changed into the suit that defined him as Lord Vader.

* * *

When Vader woke her in the middle of the night once again, Padmé immediately searched for a means of defense. She supposed that if necessary, she could use her new book, _The Secret History of Coruscant_ , as a shield.

But Vader entered slowly and closed the door manually with no clear intentions to hurt her. Still, she decided to say nothing until she could better gauge his mood.

"You dropped this," said Vader, presenting the Japor snippet.

Padmé's heart raced. She had asked Kurt to check her old cell for any signs of her good luck charm, but he returned empty-handed. She had therefore lost hope of ever seeing it again.

"Thank you," she responded, accepting it from him and clasping it around her neck.

There must have been a noticeable bruise on her face because Vader asked, "Does your cheek hurt?"

"No," Padmé answered. Vader made a sound of acknowledgment, which Padmé took to be an unspoken apology.

"Where did you get it?" Vader asked.

"A little boy I met many years ago gave it to me," she explained. "I was with a couple…acquaintances…when our ship was stranded on the Outer Rim. He helped us acquire the parts we needed and one of my friends was able to free him from slavery, so we took him with us. He was very gifted and special. He made this for me so I would never forget him, and I haven't."

Vader seemed to take a deep breath and then paused for a while before speaking. "What was his name?"

"Anakin," Padmé answered. "Anakin Skywalker. He was training to be a Jedi and one day just disappeared. Somebody snatched him while he was on a mission. For the first time, I see it as a good thing, since you probably would have slaughtered him during your Jedi massacre."

Vader growled and simply stated, "He's dead."

"What?" Padmé exclaimed, her heart sinking. No- not sinking. Drowning.

"He was killed by the Emperor many years ago," Vader explained, "when he was still Chancellor Palpatine of the Republic."

"Was that who took him?" Padmé asked, struggling to rise to her feet. Her voice cracked a little. "Did you know him?"

"Yes, I knew him," Vader replied as he began pacing around the cell. "He would have made a great Jedi, but the Jedi could never prevail over the powers of the Sith."

Padmé felt the carvings in the Japor snippet. She found herself unable to process the confirmation of Anakin's death. It was as if that boy's life was somehow her last glimmer of faith. She couldn't explain it, but she refused to accept that he was gone.

"I'll leave you to your thoughts," said Vader and he turned to exit the cell.

Padmé sank back to the padded bench and felt a tear or two roll down her bruised cheek.

"Wait!" she called to Vader. "I'd like to make a deal."

 _Oh Force, save us, Anakin. You're my only hope._

* * *

 **To anyone who just started reading this story, I hope you're enjoying it so far! Please continue to leave reviews and I hope you're all having a good holiday.**


	7. A Friend

"Wait!" she called to him. "I'd like to make a deal."

Vader hesitated a moment, but his curiosity got the best of him and he slowly turned around. Making his way closer to Padmé, he lowered his voice. "What sort of deal?"

"An exchange," Padmé answered. "Something that will benefit both of us mentally."

Vader was now very confused. _Mentally?_ He took a seat at the other end of the padded bench, careful not to invade her personal space. "Tell me, Senator."

"My company," she answered simply. "An ear to listen, shoulder to cry on…a friend." He could tell she choked a bit on that last word.

"In exchange for?" Vader prompted.

"No more questions," Padmé proposed. "No more questions about my friends or anything to do with the rebellion. If you really want me to trust you, then this is a topic we can't discuss because I know you will go out and do something I wouldn't approve of. And you wouldn't be able to trust me because you know I will never tell you what you want to hear. I won't tell you the location of every rebel base or make a list of all the former Republic Senators that are a part of the movement. We both have very strong, differing views and hold tightly to them."

"Then, what would you suggest we talk about, Senator?" Vader asked, crossing his arms.

"I guess…we'll just have to find something we have in common," Padmé replied. "I don't know, you're the one who said you wanted my company."

Vader chewed on his lip behind his mask. He did yearn for her presence- that was the sole reason he was keeping her on board, after all. And it would be nice not to fight. Although he found Padmé's headstrong personality quite attractive, the man inside the monster could use a bit of normal conversation here and there. Someone to eat meals with. Or something.

 _I am Darth Vader, a Sith Lord. I should have no attachments._

He cleared his throat and stood. "I shall consider your proposal and return in the morning with an answer."

Padmé nodded. The bags under her eyes were a sign of noticeable exhaustion. Vader felt a bit guilty for waking her up again.

 _I don't feel guilty for murdering countless civilizations or torturing helpless people, but I feel bad for interrupting Padmé's sleep._

 _I am Darth Vader, a Sith Lord. I should have no attachments._

He pushed aside the constant nagging of the voice inside his head and left her without a goodbye, hoping to catch some sleep himself. He had a very important conversation to prepare for, and it wasn't with Padmé.

* * *

Vader sat impatiently on his mattress, waiting for the communicator to beep. He had been notified that the Emperor would contact him "around 10:00 standard hours". It was now 10:23. It frustrated Vader that the Emperor could just call anytime he damn well pleased, but if Vader was 30 seconds late for something, he would be zapped with Force lightning.

Finally, at 10:26, the Emperor's hologram appeared before him and Vader knelt. "What is thy bidding, my Master?"

"Rise, Lord Vader," the Emperor commanded. "Some disturbing news has reached me, and I do hope there is not any truth in this."

 _He knows. He knows about Padmé. Goddamit Piett…_

"What is this news?" Vader asked nonchalantly.

"That your little operation on Dantooine was a failure," the Emperor responded. "Quite a large failure, I might add."

Vader felt a small sense of relief that Padmé was safe, at least for now. But he dreaded the personal consequences if he was unable to talk his way out of this situation.

"What you have heard is true, my Master," Vader replied. "It was a severe error in judgment that will not happen again."

"I trust that it won't," said the Emperor. "The Empire cannot afford to look weak or else more people will likely turn to the rebel cause. Are you weak, Lord Vader?"

"No, Master," Vader answered. "The Dark Side and your teachings flow through me. I feel the power."

"Good," Sidious responded with something that resembled a sort of slithery cackle. "But I would like you to prove your words to me. You will discover the real location of the base and you will not just send a few of your silly soldiers to kill the construction crew, but you will wait until the base is finished and occupied by the rebel leaders. At that time, you, personally, will lead an attack and annihilate every rebel in your sight. We will remind them who holds the power and where their allegiances should lie. Is that understood?"

"Clearly," Vader answered. "It shall be done."

Vader expected the Emperor to end the call here, but there was a long pause. He shivered, fearful of whatever he was waiting for.

"I sense a change in you, Lord Vader," Sidious stated.

"What sort of change, Master?" Vader inquired.

"You are distracted," he answered. "You have been thinking of Anakin."

"Anakin is dead to me," Vader replied, enraged by his accusations that a tiny piece of him knew, but would not admit, to be true.

"I do hope so," Sidious responded. "I do not need reason to doubt your loyalty."

"My loyalty is and always will be to you and to the Galactic Empire," said Vader, his eyes fixed on the communicator, waiting for the Emperor to end the call so he could smash it.

"Excellent," the Emperor replied. "I shall speak with you again soon, my apprentice."

Vader nodded and waited for the connection to end before throwing the device to the ground and crashing his boot down on it multiple times, gaining satisfaction from its destruction. After he had taken a few deep breaths, he picked it up and casually handed it to one of the guards outside his quarters as he passed by. It was a routine after infuriating conversations- the trooper would deliver it to a technician and Vader would have a brand new one by the time he returned.

The conversation had, however, helped Vader reach a decision regarding Padmé's proposal. Perhaps if he played nice with her, she would eventually reveal the information he needed to track down the real base and carry out his Master's orders. Having no other source, he did not see another choice but to attempt this plan.

* * *

Padmé had slept much better after Vader had returned her Japor snippet, and was waiting almost a bit too eagerly for his return. She was craving conversation and another human presence, even if it was from the Dark Lord. She still wasn't entirely convinced that Vader was human, but was leaning toward this theory.

Kurt had delivered a new book this morning- a fictional drama called _A Tale of Two Smugglers._ Padmé had not read anything fictional since she was a little girl. As soon as she entered the world of politics, everything she read was somehow government-related. She had noticed immediately that certain sentences of this book were blacked out and sometimes even whole pages were missing. She assumed this was the Empire's way of censoring anything related to the Republic or the rebellion or anything at all that could possibly convince someone to question the Empire.

Vader's entrance was swift and this time Padmé immediately closed the book instead of pretending to finish the page. She no longer cared if Vader knew she wanted to see him. In fact, it might work to her advantage in her whole "gain his trust so he'll let me go home" plan.

"I have decided to accept your proposal, Senator," said Vader.

A very long pause ensued, neither knowing who should be the first to speak. Vader leaned on the wall across from her, obviously staring at her in his usual intense way. Padmé, therefore, decided to take the initiative, starting with the first "find something in common" question that came to mind. "So, you've obviously been a lot of places…in the whole galaxy, what is the greatest place you've ever been?"

"Great in what way, Senator?" Vader asked.

"Well, like…you just liked it there. You felt happy or safe," Padmé responded.

"I don't feel happy and I have nothing to fear," Vader replied.

"There must have been at least one place you've been that you particularly enjoyed," Padmé prompted.

"Well, what about you, Senator?" Vader asked. "What is your 'happy, safe place'?"

Padmé didn't really care if he was mocking her. She was determined to make progress. "Actually, my home planet of Naboo. It's filled with luscious forests and stunning views and wonderful beaches." _And I would very much like to go there now, please._

"I don't like sand," Vader replied. "It's coarse and rough and irritating and gets everywhere."

"So, no beaches, then…" said Padmé, mostly to herself. "What about cities?"

"What is your fascination with picking one place to stay? One place to enjoy, as you put it?" Vader interrupted. "Why live in one spot when you can go everywhere?"

"Well…I guess because not everyone has the luxury of living on the most prestigious Imperial ship and going anywhere they want whenever they want to go there," Padmé answered, realizing she might be overstepping boundaries but not caring. "You don't know what it's like to be settled."

"Oh, believe me, Padmé," Vader interjected, "I know exactly what it's like to be stuck somewhere and I am never going back to that life."

Padmé was now curious about Vader's past and wanted to ask more, but he started heading for the door with a simple, "That's enough for today, Senator."

She sighed, resuming her position in _A Tale of Two Smugglers_.

 _What have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

 **Hey guys! So, I know it's just been a lot of dialogue lately, but I promise you there will be some action (and a change of setting) coming up next, so stay tuned.**


	8. Mos Eisley

In a small, crowded cantina in Mos Eisley, a bearded, fairly young man sat in the corner, watching the action. Obi-Wan Kenobi often frequented this bar under the name "Ben".

When choosing a planet to hide, Obi-Wan instinctively thought of Tatooine. He had a strong emotional connection to the barren place, as it is where Qui-Gon had stumbled across Obi-Wan's former Padawan, Anakin.

Ten years later, Obi-Wan still felt like a failure. His Master's dying wish was that he train the boy, and instead he allowed him to be taken away, never to be seen again.

Sometimes Obi-Wan would visit Anakin's mother. She was married now- to a farmer called Lars. They were a nice family; always offered him a hearty meal when he was hungry or some company when he was lonely. Living in a desert cave wasn't exactly the life he had pictured for himself.

He liked the cantina because he could experience a taste of civilization without being bothered. No one took the time to come sit down and chat with "Hermit Ben". He was just a weird guy who wore strange robes. Although Obi-Wan still carried his lightsaber, he kept it well-concealed. It was ironic that the weapon he once used for protection could bring about his own death if seen by anyone loyal to the Empire.

A scantily clad waitress of an unknown species approached him. "What'll it be, dear?" she asked, batting her eyelashes.

"A cup of Jawa juice and whatever the special is," Obi-Wan replied.

She scribbled his order on a notepad and scurried off to the next table.

Obi-Wan watched as a fight commenced between two Twi'leks. One had stolen a part from the other's speeder. He agreed to give back the part when he was beaten to the ground. An attendant dragged him across the floor and left him in the sand outside as the music resumed. It was always the same songs- over and over again each week he came. Obi-Wan dearly wished they would invest in a new band.

But these petty thoughts were instantly forgotten when his food and drink appeared before him. It was not the food itself that alarmed him, but the dark-haired person that brought it to him.

"…Senator Organa?"

* * *

Obi-Wan grabbed hold of Bail Organa's arm and dragged him out of the cantina.

"Hey!" the waitress shouted, chasing after them. "Aren't you going to pay for that?"

Obi-Wan waved his hand in front of her. "I don't need to pay for that."

"You don't need to pay for that," she replied hypnotically and retreated inside.

Releasing Bail's arm, Obi-Wan asked, "What are you doing here? Is this an undercover mission? If so, I wasn't informed."

Bail stared at him as if not comprehending what he said. "I'm sorry," he replied, "but I don't know who you are."

Amnesia. So Bail had somehow lost his memory and was now running food in a cantina on Tatooine…

"Bail, can you tell me what happened to you in the past month or so?" Obi-Wan asked gently. "Anything at all."

"Bail?" he replied. "Is that my name?"

"Yes, and I need you to tell me what happened," Obi-Wan persisted. "You were a lead member of the Rebel Alliance and from a transmission you sent out that did not match any of our plans, we assumed you'd been captured. We wanted to stage a rescue mission, but we didn't know where you were…"

Bail was silent, obviously attempting to process this overload of information. Instead of asking more questions, Obi-Wan was grateful that he began to give him answers.

"The first thing I remember is a man in a black suit and mask. He had me in restraints and held up some sort of communication device and told me he'd release me if I said what he wanted me to say," Bail explained, "so I did. Something about building a base on some planet called Dantooine. Then he held true to his promise and a couple men in white armor escorted me here. They dropped me off in Mos Espa and I never saw them again."

 _Vader._

"Do you know where you were?" Obi-Wan prompted. "Before they brought you here."

"On some sort of ship, I think," Bail answered. "A very large one."

 _The Executor._

"And was there a girl with you?" Obi-Wan continued. "Curly brown hair? Her name is Padmé and she went missing around the same time you did. She contacted her parents recently, but we suspect she may have been under watch."

"No, Sir," Bail replied. "No girls…" He paused as if reconsidering this statement. "I did overhear one conversation. When the man in the black suit ordered that I be taken here, one of the white-suited men asked if they should take 'the girl' too. He said no."

 _Padmé was still on board._

"Thank you, Bail," Obi-Wan responded. "I'm going to get you home. You live on Alderaan and have a wife that is worried sick. Her name is Breha."

Obi-Wan pulled out his old communicator that he rarely used and headed behind the cantina to make sure his call would be private. The only people that ever called were the rebels with meeting locations and he generally had no reason to call them. He entered the only code he could remember, rebel leader Senator Mon Mothma.

Her hologram soon appeared, fading in and out a bit due to Obi-Wan's distant location and the outdated technology. "Greetings, friend," he said. "I have good news- I have found Bail Organa."

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "And Padmé?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "It would appear that our suspicions were correct. Both were captured by the Empire. Bail was released, but somehow his memory was wiped. Vader must have some new technology that we don't know about yet. It's actually quite clever- making rebels forget that they're rebels. It would be wise for us to try and remove this from his grasp."

"But, Master Jedi," said Mon, "what about Padmé? Do you know where she is being held?"

"Aboard the _Executor_ in the presence of Vader himself," Obi-Wan answered. "It is unknown whether or not she is still alive."

"We will plan a rescue immediately," Mon responded, signaling to someone across the room. "Even if we are unable to acquire her, we need to get our hands on that memory wiper. We could use your help on this one, Kenobi. Getting so close to Vader will not be easy."

"Gladly," Obi-Wan replied. "I am taking Bail back to Alderaan- perhaps Breha can help him remember more of his life. Meet me there so we can discuss this further."

Mon Mothma agreed and disconnected the call. Obi-Wan proceeded to lead Senator Organa to his ship, which he had a bit of trouble starting due to lack of frequent use. "I hate flying," he grumbled as he finally got the engine running and they set off for Alderaan.

* * *

Vader had visited Padmé every day for the past week. Each time he arrived, she was reading a new book. He was tempted to scold his trooper for providing her with them (and obviously slacking off himself if he had time to read), but they kept Padmé occupied and it was a harmless hobby. Today, she was reading something called _The Man behind the Mask: Theories about Darth Vader_.

"What does it say about me?" he asked, slightly interested. Generally Vader ignored the press- just a bunch of scumbags that reported anything the Emperor wanted them to say.

"Oh, a great many things," Padmé answered. "Ichtuhu from Ryloth theorizes that you are not a human, but a high-tech robot designed by the Emperor, devoid of all emotions and indestructible in battle."

 _Not far off._

"I know she's wrong," said Padmé.

"And why is that?" asked Vader.

"Because robots don't need company," Padmé answered.

"But what if I'm a robot with a human mind?" Vader replied. "Perhaps the Emperor ripped out someone's brain and put it inside me. Or maybe I'm a Cyborg." He debated taking off his right glove to reveal his metal hand, but decided against it.

Vader thought he saw a glimpse of a smile from Padmé. Just as she had opened her mouth to say something, the ground shook. Vader and Padmé were both knocked into the wall.

One of the guards opened the cell door. "My Lord," he said, "I'm sorry to disturb you, but I've just been informed that we are under attack."

"From who?" Vader shouted.

"The rebels, Sir," the trooper answered.

Vader exited the cell, yelling at the Stormtroopers to abandon their current post and assume attack positions with the rest of their unit.

It wasn't until he was halfway across the rattling ship that he realized he had left the door open…


	9. The Escape

**Hey guys! Glad you're enjoying the story and thanks to everyone who has been leaving reviews. As a heads up for any "but it's supposed to be like this" readers, I've made some changes to the layout of the Executor and the technology in this chapter. The changes are intentional.**

 _Run._

Padmé sprinted down corridors and around corners, mostly abandoned since the Stormtroopers were preoccupied with the battle. Occasionally she would spot one, causing her to choose a different path.

 _This may be my only chance._

She felt as if she was running in circles. Every wall was white or grey and every door was unmarked and tightly sealed. Red lights flashed in each hallway, signaling that the ship was under attack.

Panting, Padmé bolted down a staircase. She had no clue where she was going, but was not having any luck on her current level.

The next one looked exactly the same.

 _Shit._

She tried a different staircase, skipping steps as she hurried down another level.

As soon as Padmé exited the stairwell, the ground shook violently and knocked her off her feet. She fell forward to the cold, shiny black floor, catching herself with her hands. She lay there for a moment, trying to catch her breath, and then she looked up.

Straight ahead was a metal sliding door with a glowing red "EXIT" sign above it.

 _It can't be that easy._

Padmé pushed herself up and headed for the door, almost tripping on the blue gown she'd been wearing for the past couple weeks…or had it been longer than that? She realized she'd stopped keeping track of time.

She pulled down on the emergency lever to open the door and carefully stepped into a small escape pod. She looked around at all the different lights and buttons. Technology had never been her strong suit.

 _Why can't there just be one big red escape button?_

Padmé heard a deep voice calling her name and turned around to see Vader sprinting down the hallway toward her. She frantically began to push every button in sight. More lights turned on and the pod whirred to life as the footsteps came closer and closer.

Padmé finally found the button to release the pod and triumphantly pressed it…just as Vader had jumped into the pod behind her. The door sealed shut and they began to float out into space.

* * *

"What are you doing?!" Padmé shouted.

Vader shoved her aside so he could reach the controls. The pod was clearly only designed for one person, so she didn't move very far.

"Trying to override the system," Vader answered. "You've set it to automatic."

"No, I mean, why did you follow me?" Padmé asked. Vader could feel rage emanating from her and it was strangely satisfying.

He didn't answer, trying to focus. His worst fear in that moment was realized.

"Dammit," Vader muttered.

"What?" said Padmé.

"If it's set on automatic," Vader explained, "it can only be overridden by someone on the ship. Someone aboard the _Executor_ will have to pull us back in."

"Which isn't going to happen because they're busy trying to murder my friends," Padmé pointed out.

"I think they'll notice that their leader is missing," Vader countered.

"And if they discover that an escape pod has been set loose, they'll believe their leader to be a coward that abandoned them during a fight," Padmé snapped.

She unfortunately had a point. Vader could not afford to have his men think that he abandoned them. The rebel alliance: a powerful force that cause cowardly Lord Vader to run for his life. No, that was not okay with him.

He checked to see if there was any way to switch to a manual mode, but there wasn't.

 _Who the hell designed these?_

"So what happens now?" Padmé inquired.

Vader slumped down against the opposite wall. Her voice was starting to really annoy him. He was unable to stretch out his legs due to lack of space. He wasn't claustrophobic, but certainly wasn't used to sharing one-man ships with another person.

"We've locked onto the gravity of the nearest planet," Vader answered. "We'll get pulled in and the pod will land there smoothly."

Vader contemplated who to call for help when they arrived. No matter what, he would be unable to avoid a certain level of embarrassment and would need to come up with a damn good story.

 _Piett. I'll call Piett._

"What's the nearest planet?" Padmé asked.

Vader looked out the window and any hope he had left was drained when he saw that they were headed toward a pale blue world of ice.

"Hoth," he declared. "The nearest planet is Hoth."

* * *

The pod was filled with only deathly silence as they drew closer to the planet. The last time Padmé had felt this angry and overwhelmed was when she found out the Trade Federation had invaded Naboo. She started subconsciously tapping her foot, trying to calm down.

"Stop that," said Vader, slamming his hand down on her foot. Padmé pulled it out from under him and drew it back toward her.

She stared at him, slightly unnerved by their close proximity. However, although Vader wasn't her first choice of travel companion, a tiny piece of her almost felt better that she wasn't alone in this.

"What are you thinking?" Vader asked when he caught her staring.

"Just…about how what you wanted was some company and now you clearly want to be as far away from me as possible," Padmé answered.

"That's not true," said Vader. "I'm just trying not to strangle you right now since I don't have anywhere to dispose of your body."

Padmé discarded the threat. "I wouldn't have done this if you had just let me go home," she said. "Be honest with me, Vader. Why were you keeping me around? Was this whole 'company' thing some sort of stupid ploy to earn my trust so I'd tell you more about the rebellion?"

Vader clenched his fist. "I think the better question, Senator," he replied, "is if your lack of argument about the deal was an attempt to earn my trust so I would release you."

Padmé was silent for a moment. "Well I suppose there are no secrets between us now" was all she could think to say.

"If that's true, tell me where the base is being built," ordered Vader.

"And if I did, what would you do about it now?" Padmé replied. "If you haven't noticed, we're stuck in the middle of space, destined to land on a planet with no form of communication and where no one will think to look for us before we freeze to death."

The realization hit her that she was going to die with Darth Vader by her side. She felt a sudden wave of nausea and leaned to the side, emptying the contents of her stomach onto the only tiny open space of floor in the pod.

Vader seemed to completely ignore the scene before him and continued pressuring her. "Good, well if we're destined to die, then why not tell me?"

Padmé wiped her hand across her mouth and wished she had puked on him instead. She didn't know where her next words came from, but once they were out, she could not take them back. "I'll tell you where the base is if you tell me who you are."

Vader was silent for a moment. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I know you're human," said Padmé, "and I've researched the Sith. I know your real name isn't Darth Vader."

If Vader didn't have a mask on, Padmé could have sworn he was smirking.

"No, Darth Vader is not my real name," he replied.

"Then what is it?" Padmé asked.

"I'll tell you what," Vader proposed. "I'll answer something I know you're curious about if you give me a clue about the base."

Padmé knew she shouldn't give in to his request, but she was desperate for any information she could find on the mysterious figure before her. Perhaps he would even tell her something that could help the rebellion if she was ever able to get back to them. She wondered if they were winning the battle.

"Western Reaches," she answered honestly.

Vader seemed satisfied with the answer. He started fiddling around with one of his gloves.

"What are you doing?" Padmé asked. "You promised you'd tell me something too."

"I am," said Vader as he pulled his glove off to reveal a large, calloused, light-skinned flesh hand.

 _He is human._

Something willed Padmé to reach out and touch it as if making sure it was real, but Vader pulled away and put the black glove back on.

She turned to look out the window. Their destination was less than a few minutes away.

 _Here we go._

* * *

Vader gripped a handle on the side of the pod as some of the lights flashed and they entered Hoth's atmosphere.

 _She tried to touch my hand._

Upon landing, Vader peered out the window.

Snow. In every direction for as far as his eyes could see.

He noticed Padmé reaching in the pod's only storage compartment, pulling out a couple bags filled with emergency food, water, and bandages.

"What are you doing?" he asked as she fiddled with the door latch.

"Getting help," Padmé replied. The door slid open and she jumped back in shock, narrowly avoiding the pile of food she had upheaved earlier. Vader closed the door.

"You're not dressed for the weather, Senator," Vader stated, "and I believe it was you that pointed out there isn't any help here."

"There's an abandoned rebel base somewhere northwest," said Padmé, shivering. "Your Stormtroopers severely damaged it several months ago and it was subsequently evacuated. I doubt there's a ship, but perhaps I could get a communication line working."

"I?" Vader repeated.

"Yes," Padmé answered. "When I get ahold of the rebels, they'll come rescue me and I highly doubt they'll take you along."

"Not if I reach the Empire first," said Vader, reopening the door. As annoyed as he was with Padmé, he didn't want her to die of frostbite. He removed his cloak and tossed it to her and she immediately wrapped herself in it.

Vader grabbed one of the bags and started walking, quickly noticing that she wasn't following. He motioned to her.

She shook her head at him. "I'm not coming if you're just going to call up one of your servants. I'll just be your prisoner forever, which is right back where we started."

Vader decided that in order to get her to cooperate, he had to be blatantly honest. "Padmé," said Vader, "only one of my men knows that you were still on board, and I need to keep it that way. If the Emperor finds out that I kept you alive, he'd kill us both. I'm sure we can work something out."

Padmé's eyes widened. She appeared to contemplate his words and then took a few steps forward, still shivering despite the thick black material wrapped around her.

 _She's wearing my cloak. My Angel is wearing my cloak._

"I lied," she said. "The base is southeast, not northwest."

She took the lead and Vader found himself smiling at her boldness.

 _Oh, yes. She would make a great Empress someday indeed…_


	10. An Angel in a Darker Place

"Are you sure we're going the right way, Padmé?" Vader grumbled as he trudged through the snow.

"Yes," the woman in front of him replied, "and it's Senator, to you."

Vader noticed she was shaking and reached out to the Force.

 _She's weak. Yet she has the mental strength to try to fool me into thinking otherwise._

"Padmé, you need to rest," said Vader.

"No, I don't," Padmé countered. "It's not much…"

Her sentence trailed off as she collapsed forward into the snow. Vader knelt down beside her and placed a gloved hand against her neck.

 _Good- she has a pulse._

Because she had been walking in front of him, Vader had not noticed until now how blue her skin had become. He knew that if they did not make it to the base soon, she might not last much longer.

Vader gently picked her up and slung the bag she had been carrying over his shoulder as she murmured something like "no, I can walk".

"Don't fight me right now, Senator," he commanded. "You don't have the strength and I'm saving your life."

She slowly relaxed in his arms.

By the time Vader spotted the building, or rather, what was left of it, in the distance, it was beginning to get dark. It was a fact that no human had ever survived a night on Hoth due to the sharp decline in already frigid temperatures. He quickened his pace, cursing when he almost slipped on a small sheet of ice.

When he reached the base, Vader set Padmé and the bags down and pushed the door open. He carefully moved her inside and shut the door behind them. To his dismay, it was not much warmer inside, probably due to the many holes in the walls from Imperial cannons.

Trusting that Padmé would survive without him for a few minutes, Vader explored the base. The technology the rebels had been utilizing here far exceeded what he thought they were capable of. It was all destroyed now, of course, with pieces of furniture overturned and strewn about. In some rooms, large icicles had formed and hung from the ceiling.

Finally, he found what he had been searching for: a room with no holes in the wall to expose them to the outside. Well, it was more of a storage closet, but it would have to do. It was about the same size as the pod he and Padmé had been stuck in together.

Vader returned to where he had left her and the bags and scooped her up again, carrying her to the closet. He left the door cracked for a bit of light and attempted to make a bed for her out of a couple orange rebel suits that had been hanging in there before covering her in his cloak again. He removed his left glove and felt her forehead and cheeks with his hand. It was the first skin-to-skin contact he had experienced in years.

 _Hypothermia. If I can't warm her up soon, she'll go into shock._

Vader realized in that moment that this would be the first life he had ever saved. He wasn't sure where to begin. He was so accustomed to just letting people die or killing them himself. He wasn't even able to save his own life when he was snatched from the forest so many years ago…

 _Stop it, Vader._

He contemplated for a moment doing just that and letting Padmé die. It would certainly solve the problem of having to explain to the Empire when they rescued him why he was camping out in a former rebel base with a known rebel leader. He was already mortified by the prospect of needing to be rescued and this would only make it worse.

But as Vader stared at her still form, the Force was driving him to make an effort to save her. She was an Angel, and Angels weren't supposed to die.

He grabbed a bunch of empty wooden hangers off the rack above them and made a pile, then snapped a mop in half and started frantically rubbing the sticks together. Nothing was happening except a few barely visible sparks.

 _I am Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, and I can't make a kriffing fire._

With intense concentration, he was finally able to achieve his desired effect, even if it took longer than he might have liked.

Vader moved to sit beside an unconscious Padmé and slowly reached out to grab one of her hands. It was so smooth and so tiny. And so cold. He gently held it over the fire, massaging each of her fingers until circulation started coming back.

It was such a small thing- the touching of hands. But he felt something that he was sure he had never felt before and could not find a word to describe it. This greatly frustrated him.

Vader repeated the process with her other hand and noticed she was beginning to stir. He gently let go, not wanting to frighten her as she awoke. She gasped anyway, clearly not expecting a masked man to be leaning over her.

"It's me," he said.

"Vader?" Padmé said. "What happened? Where am I? Is this prison?"

"No," Vader responded. "You passed out and almost froze to death. This is a storage closet at your rebel base. It was the warmest room I could find."

He noticed that Padmé was staring at him with a confused expression. "What?" he asked.

"Were you holding my hand?" she said.

"No," Vader replied.

"Really?" Padmé continued. "Because I could have sworn someone was touching me and your glove is off."

Vader glanced down at his palm, ignored the question, and quickly put his glove back on.

"You need to eat," he said, pulling a packet of dried food out of one of the emergency pod bags. She accepted it without complaint.

"You should eat too," Padmé noted.

Vader was starving, but didn't want to remove his mask in front of her.

"You're right," he replied, grabbing a packet of food and moving toward the door.

"Really?" said Padmé. "Why do you care so much if I see what you look like?"

 _Because I am insanely attracted to you and after you see how ugly I am, I highly doubt it will be mutual._

"Because I am the most fearsome man in the galaxy with this mask and I can't have you going around telling your little rebel friends what I look like if we ever make it out of here," Vader answered. "Now eat."

Vader exited the closet and shut the door behind him. He made his way to what was once a control room and removed his helmet and mask. He swallowed the food in three bites, examining each of the damaged panels to see which one controlled communications. It was, of course, in terrible shape and would need extensive repairs that might not even be possible with what little tools he had available. Even if he was able to repair it, what if the communication line only connected to other rebel bases? Padmé might end up winning this time after all.

Vader began to work on it anyway, but had to return to the closet when the skies darkened and the frosty winds blowing in through the holes became too overwhelming.

The fire was dying when he entered and he could barely see Padmé. He could tell that she was still cold and it was unlikely that rebuilding the tiny fire would do much.

"You're tired," he stated, sitting down across from her. "You should sleep."

"Don't tell me how I feel," Padmé snapped.

"Don't tell me I'm wrong when I'm not," Vader countered.

"Aren't you going to sleep too?" Padmé asked.

"No," Vader answered.

"Afraid I'll assassinate you?" she said. He couldn't tell if she was teasing or serious.

"If you do, Senator," he replied, "you'll be shit out of luck because the communicator out there is broken and you know just as well as I do that out of the two of us, I have a much better chance at fixing it."

Padmé opened her mouth to say something, but her body involuntary jerked a couple times, trying and failing to warm itself.

Vader knew what he had to do, but also knew that he shouldn't do it. She wouldn't like it.

 _But I would._

His mind was made up and he started moving closer to Padmé. He wrapped one of his arms around her and started pulling her closer, but she instantly pulled away.

"What the hell are you doing?" she said, clutching his cloak to her tightly.

"You need body heat and more layers," Vader explained, "unless you want to die."

"Are you asking me to cuddle with you, Lord Vader?" Padmé asked with a certain degree of resentment.

"No," said Vader, "but you should be asking to…engage in close contact…with me if you value your life."

"You can't say the word 'cuddle'," said Padmé, her body jerking again.

"Padmé," he warned.

"Why do you want to save me anyway?" she asked. "I'm of no value to you. I have no further information to offer you and can provide no means of escape from here."

"You are of much further value to me than you know," Vader replied.

 _Did I really just say that?_

"What do you mean?" said Padmé.

"Just…cuddle with me," he answered. "You're still my prisoner and that's an order."

Vader hated giving her the satisfaction of hearing him say the word "cuddle", but it worked. She scooted over to him willingly.

Vader slowly pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. She was tense for a bit, but he could feel her relaxing when she started to warm up and drift into sleep.

Vader began to experience the same feeling he had earlier when he had held her hand, but much stronger this time. It wasn't the Light Side, but it also wasn't the Dark. It was something else entirely. His head was burning trying to make sense of this emotion. All he had known for the past decade was fear, anger, and hatred. He had to embrace these emotions to give him strength.

Now, Vader wasn't sure. He still felt just as strong as he did when he embraced the Dark Side, but he wasn't using fear, anger, or hatred as fuel.

 _What is this?_

Vader gazed down at the Senator, breathing normally in his arms, and decided to meditate on this. He desperately needed answers.

 **So, for some reason, the reviews you all have been leaving for the past few days aren't showing up publicly. I emailed support asking about it, but they haven't gotten back to me. I do, however, have email alerts set up and have been reading your reviews through email. Thanks so much for all your encouragement. Let me know what you think about Vader in this chapter!**


	11. Fever

Padmé awoke suddenly the next morning to the sounds of shouting. She realized immediately that Vader was no longer with her and had left her alone with the door open for some light. She didn't waste a moment thinking about the strange events of the previous night, more concerned about finding the source of the commotion outside.

Padmé threw Vader's cloak on the ground and made her way out of the closet, following the direction of the sounds throughout the facility. The shouting had changed to grunting and a strange buzzing noise she couldn't recognize.

When she discovered the source, she jumped back in horror. "Vader!" she screamed as a huge white bear-like creature lunged toward him. His red lightsaber plunged through its chest, but not before it had scratched him down the right side of his body. Vader cried out in pain, pushing the saber further into the creature as if hoping to kill it a second time out of revenge. The buzzing ceased as he withdrew the saber and clipped it back on his belt, the lifeless snow animal collapsing to the ground in front of him.

"What the hell was that?" Padmé shouted, shaking.

"A wampa, I think," Vader replied, catching his breath. "Heard a few of my men talking about them when they returned from storming your base. A few were injured by one on the way back to the ships. One or two killed."

Vader bent over the table he had been working on, grabbing hold of the side where the wampa had sliced him.

"Looks like you're hurt too," said Padmé. "Let me help you fix it up."

"No, I'm fine," Vader insisted. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, much," Padmé replied. "Thank you."

Vader grunted, which Padmé took as "you're welcome" and "let's not speak of this again".

"What are you working on?" she asked, looking at the pieces scattered everywhere.

"I was trying to fix the communicator," Vader explained, "but looks like I have to start from scratch since that thing butchered my progress."

Padmé could almost feel the room grow colder with Vader's anger. "Anything I can do to help?"

"No," he answered, standing up straight as if already recovered from his injury and immediately getting back to work.

Padmé sat in the corner of the room to watch, afraid that if she left him, she could be attacked by another wampa. He ignored her.

A couple hours passed and Padmé began to grow hungry. She rose and returned to the closet, grabbing two dried food packets, assuming that Vader would be hungry too. She gazed for a moment at the bed he had made for her last night out of rebel suits…no, not for her- for them. But then again, he was gone in the morning and she had been pretty ill last night. Perhaps she had imagined the whole thing.

When she returned to the room where Vader had been working, she didn't see him right away. Moving around to the other side of his table, there he was- blacked out cold on the floor.

"Vader!" she shouted, dropping the food and rushing to his side. She nudged him a few times, but he wouldn't wake up. Then, she noticed a pool of blood getting larger by his right side.

 _The cut. It's worse than he told me._

She hurried to the closet and returned to him with the first aid kits from the pod. There wasn't much to work with, but it was better than nothing.

Padmé hesitated upon kneeling down, realizing that she would have to take his suit off to reach the skin.

 _He's going to kill me for this when he wakes up. But if I don't do it, then he won't wake up…_

She carefully rolled him to the side a bit so she could reach the zipper.

 _I'm going to see Darth Vader._

Her hands shook as she slowly pulled the suit off the top half of his body. He was wearing a long-sleeved black shirt underneath with a rip down the side where he had felt the wampa's wrath. She didn't removed his gloves, but could feel that the arm on that side was mechanical. Out of curiosity, she touched the other one.

 _Human. Definitely human._

Padmé rolled his shirt up and gasped, but not at the blood. The right side of his chest and stomach were covered in severe burn scars. But the whole thing was flesh. _And quite muscular…_

 _What happened to you?_

She immediately got to work, trying to stop the bleeding with bacta patches.

 _At least this scar will be on the same side as the others._

Fearing that he might wake up soon, Padmé carefully rolled his shirt back down and re-zipped the suit.

 _And now we wait._

* * *

Padmé waited for hours, alternating between pacing and sitting at Vader's side, staring at him. At one point, she began to notice the potent smell of dead wampa and attempted to move it, but it was too heavy.

She leaned closer when Vader finally started to come to, trying to hear what he was saying.

"Mom?" Vader mumbled.

 _Did Vader just say Mom? Does Vader have a mother?_

"No," Padmé said. "It's me- it's Padmé. You're hurt."

"Mom, I don't feel good…" Vader mumbled before his head dropped to one side.

 _He must have a fever. The cut's infected…_

"If only you'd let me help you hours ago, then we wouldn't be in this position," Padmé mumbled, knowing he couldn't hear her anyway.

She knew what she had to do now. This was the moment of truth. And he would certainly kill her for it once he got his strength back.

Padmé ripped off part of the bottom of her dress and poured some water from a canteen in the backpack on it. She carefully started removing his helmet.

Padmé was shocked again to discover that he had hair. It was only on one side of his head, but they were beautiful golden locks.

 _Vader's a blonde._

The final step was the mask. She held her breath and pulled it off gently. The same burn scars that covered half his chest covered half his face. But he was so young- way younger than she'd expected.

 _And quite handsome._

Padmé pressed one hand to his forehead, confirming her fever suspicions. She carefully placed her homemade wet cloth across it and dabbed a bit on his cheeks. She attempted to pour some of the water down his throat, but he wasn't swallowing.

A little while later, he began to speak again, but didn't open his eyes.

"Mom?"

"No," Padmé said again. "It's Padmé."

"Padmé?" he mumbled. "You found me. I thought no one was coming."

"Of course I found you," Padmé answered. "You were only a couple rooms away…"

"Obi-Wan," Vader continued, his breathing labored. "He said he'd come for me. He didn't come."

Padmé was thoroughly confused. _Obi-Wan Kenobi? The Jedi Master that helps the Alliance? How does Vader know him?  
_ Before she could ask, his head drooped to the side again. She left him for a moment to retrieve his cloak from the closet and made a pillow for him.

Padmé allowed him to sleep, watching over him. She tried to guess how old he was- couldn't be much more than twenty. Her own age at most.

 _How could such a young man live such a horrible life?_

Padmé ran her fingers through his hair, surprisingly soft for having not been washed in days. She suddenly wondered if the showers still worked here and went to investigate. To her dismay, they did not.

 _No water. We're going to die if he doesn't wake up and get the communicator fixed soon._

While she was waiting, she ate some of the dried pod food and tried working on the communicator herself, but none of the pieces made sense to her. She turned her attention to a large orange covering which contained several wires that had been severed in half. _I wonder what this does…_

Padmé took each end of the wire and carefully twisted the wires inside together to their corresponding colors, cursing when one shocked her, hoping that it would do something.

As soon as she connected the final one, she jumped as the loud whirring of a generator started up and fluorescent lights flickered on above her.

 _Electricity. We have power._

Padmé was too preoccupied to notice a pair of blue eyes with a Sithly yellow tinge on the edges had snapped open on the floor beside her.


	12. Missing

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mon Mothma hurried outside as soon as they caught sight of the rebels returning to the base. Obi-Wan noticed many of the pilots began sweating just from exiting their vehicles. Unlike himself, they had not spent significant amounts of time on desert planets and were still getting used to the arid temperatures here on Jakku.

As Mon redirected her attention to checking on those who were injured, Obi-Wan set out to discuss the results with the mission's leader.

"Hello, Commander," Obi-Wan greeted him. "I am glad to see that you have returned with minimal casualties."

"We were also able to acquire the memory-wiping device used on Senator Organa," the commander replied. "Perhaps you can take a look at it, Master Jedi, and see if there is any way to reverse the effects."

Obi-Wan thought back to the moment he had dropped Bail off on Alderaan and how devastated his wife had been when she realized he had no idea who she was.

"And Senator Amidala?" Obi-Wan asked.

"My men searched every cell on the prison level," the commander responded. "It appears she is no longer on board."

"Strange," Obi-Wan replied, now more worried than ever about his friend. "I am curious, how did you manage to acquire the device, which I'm assuming was well-protected, and open every cell to search for the Senator?"

"The clones were a little…flustered," the commander explained. "It seemed that Lord Vader was not on board to give them orders."

 _Strange indeed._

"Thank you for your help, Commander," Obi-Wan responded. "You may return to your men."

Obi-Wan was left alone to ponder the information he had just received. He was certain that Padmé was being held on the _Executor_ , and it was very uncharacteristic of Vader to not take part in a battle. Certainly if he had left the ship for some sort of duty, he would have returned for something this important…

He decided to meditate on this later. The most important task now was to examine the memory wiper.

* * *

Firmus Piett stood as still as possible, wiping his palms against his jacket as the sight of the Emperor's cruiser drew closer to the _Executor._ When he had learned of the Emperor's impending arrival, he had ordered the clones to clean up the rebels' mess as quickly as possible. They were all quite disoriented without Lord Vader, Piett included, and he sensed that his life could be at an end when he informed the Emperor of Vader's disappearance.

The Emperor's cruiser landed swiftly in the hangar. The cloaked man himself soon appeared, followed by four guards with red capes. Piett gulped as he headed directly toward him.

"My Lord," Piett acknowledged him with a bow.

"Admiral," the Emperor began, "where is Darth Vader? It is an insult that he is not here to greet me personally, especially after such a devastating loss to the Rebel Alliance."

"Well, you see, Your Excellency," said Piett, "Lord Vader seems to have…disappeared. No one has seen him since right before the battle began and he has not attempted to make contact."

The Emperor, clearly enraged by this statement, shot a bolt of Sith lightning at an unsuspecting Stormtrooper before returning his attention to a fearful Piett.

"How could this happen?" the Emperor shouted. "His personal ships are all here."

"My men searched the ship," answered Piett, "and found that an escape pod has been ejected. We suspect that Lord Vader may have left the ship shortly before or during the battle for reasons unknown."

Piett closed his eyes, half expecting that it was his turn to be punished, but it appeared that the Emperor was not finished with their conversation.

"Are there any other missing passengers? Did any rebels in the cells manage to escape?"

Piett frowned, deliberating whether or not to tell the Emperor about the girl. But Piett's allegiances were first and foremost to Lord Vader over this old scumbag, and he had promised him that he would tell no one, especially the Emperor, about her.

"No, my Lord," Piett replied. "There were no rebels on board to escape."

He noticed the Emperor eyeing him closely. The old man's yellow eyes were far more intimidating than Vader's suit. Piett wondered if he could sense that he was hiding something.

"Very well, that will be all," the Emperor said at last. "I wish to be escorted to appropriate quarters. I will be staying for a short time to look into this unfortunate matter myself."

"Right away, Your Excellency," Piett replied, releasing the breath he had been holding. He snapped and two Stormtroopers hurried to the Emperor's side.

Piett never thought the day would come when he wished for Lord Vader to be around, but right now, that was all he wanted.

* * *

Vader felt a sharp stabbing pain coming from the right side of his body, but this was the last thing on his mind at the moment. He took in his surroundings, realizing where he was.

 _When did I take my mask off? Why am I on the floor?_

It felt as if all the life had been sucked out of his chest when he heard her voice only a few feet away.

"I can't believe it!" Padmé shouted. "I did it! We have…"

Vader's eyes met hers and he could sense her fear. He tossed a damp piece of fabric off his forehead and forced himself to stand up. "Why is my mask off?" he asked slowly, gaining his balance and placing extra emphasis on each word.

"You had a fever," Padmé replied, stuttering on her words. "Your cut got infected. I tried to patch it up to stop the bleeding…"

"So you took my suit off too?!" Vader shouted, starting toward her.

Padmé backed up until she hit a wall and could go no further. He stopped only a couple feet away from her, staring down at her pleading face.

 _She is scared. Terrified. Good. She should be._

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now," Vader stated, getting his hand into position to begin a Force choke.

"Because I saved your life!" Padmé exclaimed before he could begin. "I saved your life and now you're going to repay that by killing me?"

Vader slowly lowered his hand and took another step toward her, hoping to intimidate her as much as possible. He couldn't kill someone who saved his life, especially not her.

 _But why did she do it?_

"Don't touch my mask again," he said simply, vaguely noting the closeness of their bodies. The thought disturbed him and he turned away to retrieve his mask and helmet.

"Wait!" said Padmé as he picked it up. Vader turned to face her, curious as to what she could possibly say at this point that would not anger him further.

"Don't put it back on," she finished.

"What?" Vader asked, caught off-guard.

"I said, don't put the mask back on," Padmé repeated, bravely walking toward him.

"And why not, Senator?" Vader retorted.

"Well…I've already seen you without it," she answered.

"And now you see why I wear it," he responded, preparing to place it back on his face when suddenly Padmé did something he wasn't expecting. She placed her hand on his cheek- the one with the scars. He didn't move, trying to process the action and too stunned to do anything. Her hand was so soft, maybe even softer than the night before when he'd held onto it…

Vader wanted to grab her wrist tightly and push her away from him, but something was holding him back. "What are you doing?" he whispered.

Padmé traced her fingers across the scars on his face. It felt so good. It was the first time he had been touched in years in a manner that didn't inflict pain. It was so…so…humiliating.

Vader finally pushed her arm away from him and tried to read her expression to no avail. "What are you thinking?" he asked. "That I really am a monster? Were any of those ridiculous theories in your book right about me?"

"I was thinking…" she began before hesitating. "I was thinking that you're very handsome, and you didn't deserve whatever happened to give you those scars."

Her words shocked him. _Did Padmé just say I was handsome?_

She was biting her lip and Vader could tell she was waiting for a response. He dropped the mask and replied, "Good job with the electricity. I'll deal with the wampa carcass and get back to working on the communicator."

Vader could tell Padmé was annoyed that he had changed the subject, but right now all he wanted to do was remove the ghastly smell of dead wampa. He dragged the wretched thing to the facility's nearby back entrance, trying not to place too much pressure on his injury.

When he finally got it outside, he sank to the snow to catch his breath. It was beginning to get dark again, and he was famished. _How long was I out?_

Vader jumped when he heard a strange beeping coming from his left pocket. He reached inside, pulling out his communicator.

 _How could I have kriffing forgot about this? Am I that stupid?_

He was about to answer the call and ask for help, but sensed that it was the Emperor and he was in no position to have a conversation with him at the moment. He waited until the beeping stopped.

 _I have to call Piett._

But as soon as Vader began punching in the Admiral's code, he halted.

" _You're very handsome…"_

Padmé's words haunted him. How could someone so beautiful say something about such a monstrous creature as himself?

And so Vader made a risky decision. _She'll never know I had it in the first place._

Vader placed the communicator on top of the wampa, went inside, and shut the door.

* * *

 **Thanks so much for your continued incredible feedback! I wanted to respond here to a couple anonymous readers whose reviews really warmed my heart:**

 **To "Star Lord", that last comment of yours was hysterical. I actually laughed out loud and that is something I might consider!**

 **To "Anon", I'm so glad that you loved the story enough to read it all on your phone! That's a whole new level of dedication (and eye strain…), so thanks so much for that.**

 **Please keep following and reviewing, and I hope you all liked Jakku as the location of the base! I thought it might be cool to include something from TFA.**


	13. Scars

When Vader returned inside, Padmé was tinkering with something on one of the walls.

"You should get back to the closet," Vader insisted. "It's getting dark and you'll freeze if you stay in this room."

"No I won't," Padmé answered as a small crackling noise commenced. She turned to face him. "Electricity controls the heat. I turned the heat on."

Vader was secretly impressed. "Still, I don't know if a heater is going to overpower the winds that are going to be coming through these holes pretty soon."

When she didn't move, he decided not to push the matter further. He opened a packet of dried food and devoured it.

"How did you get the scars?" Padmé asked.

Vader could not understand why she was so intrigued by him. Most women would be terrified of his face, but she found it attractive and mysterious.

"Give me another clue about the base and I'll tell you about the scars," Vader suggested.

"Are you seriously still on about the base?" Padmé replied in a frustrated tone.

"Yes, because sooner or later we're getting off this planet and I will resume my duties," Vader answered.

"Don't you find it strange that no one has come looking for you yet?" Padmé pointed out. "You would think that they noticed the missing pod by now and would have searched nearby planets. But no one's come so far. They don't care about you."

"And you do?" Vader snapped. She was really getting on his last nerve and it was taking all his energy to not Force choke her.

"I'm still here, aren't I?" Padmé replied.

"That's not an answer," Vader pointed out.

Padmé switched back to the original topic, clearly uncomfortable with where the conversation was headed. "The base is on a desert planet."

 _Desert planet in the Western Reaches. Clever. Definitely not somewhere I would have thought to look._

"Your turn," she said.

Vader pulled an overturned chair upright and sat down several feet away from her. For some reason, he felt comfortable telling Padmé the story, even if it meant having to kill her later.

"Before I was around," Vader began, "the Emperor had an apprentice named Count Dooku. A Jedi knight turned Sith."

"Count Dooku?!" Padmé exclaimed. "That old man who worked with the Trade Federation?"

"Yes," Vader responded. "One day a few years ago, Dooku, also known as Darth Tyranus, found out that the Emperor, also known as Darth Sidious, was planning on killing him so I could take his place as his new apprentice. I was only about fifteen at the time- not fully immersed in the Dark Side yet." Vader paused here, reliving the memories. "Dooku came while I was sleeping. I tried to fight him off, but he managed to grab my lightsaber since I wasn't expecting it. He brought me to Geonosis where he had set up an elaborate torture chamber for any who dared offend him. He liked to watch his prisoners die slowly, but I suspect it was because he was too afraid to kill them himself."

Vader looked at Padmé, waiting for a reaction, but she maintained her senatorial face, so he continued.

"Dooku strapped me into a metal machine- sort of like a stretcher except face down over a fire pit. I struggled to break free of the restraints as he began to lower me in, but I only managed to get them off one side of my body in time. The other half reached the fire and began to burn. The pain and anger I felt in that moment allowed me to fully embrace the Dark Side. I was powerful enough to free myself. Dooku wasn't expecting it when I pulled my lightsaber from him and challenged him to combat, half of my body still aflame. I killed the weak fool in less than a minute. I tried to put out the fire by rolling on the floor and succeeded, but most of my right arm and leg and much of my skin had already burned off. It was agony. The Viceroy of the Trade Federation found me shortly afterward when he came looking for Dooku and alerted Palpatine. He personally came to pick me up and brought me to a medical center, which is where I got my mechanical limbs. He proceeded to knight me Darth Vader and I have been his loyal apprentice since that day."

The memories were painful for Vader. That was the day Anakin truly died. Up until then, he had consistently defied Sidious. But the Dark Side had saved him from Tyranus, and Sidious had saved his life.

Vader was too lost in his thoughts to notice Padmé approaching. He stiffened when she wrapped her arms around him.

 _Is Padmé hugging me? Why is she hugging me? I don't think anyone's ever hugged me…_

Vader kept his arms at his sides, feeling a bit too awkward to hug back.

"I'm sorry that happened to you," she whispered.

Padmé started to pull back when suddenly Vader said, "Don't."

Vader was confused. He wasn't sure what had possessed him to stop her from ending the hug. But he was feeling the flurry of strange emotions again- the ones he had felt when she fell asleep in his arms. He had meditated on it for half the night, but was still unable to explain it. All he knew was that he needed her.

Padmé cautiously sat down on his lap and wrapped her arms around him again, pressing her head into his chest. He slowly placed his hands on her back.

"Why aren't you afraid of me?" Vader asked.

"What is there to fear?" Padmé responded quietly. "Even if you don't realize it, you're just a lonely man who's lived a terrible life beyond your control. And you deserve a friend."

"I thought you said we could never be friends, Senator," Vader replied.

"I changed my mind," she answered, "and please call me Padmé."

Vader didn't know how to respond, but he didn't have to because Padmé began to drift into sleep. He didn't want to let go of her, but there was something he had to take care of.

He carried her to a room with several bunkbeds and a working heater with less holes in the wall and covered her with his cloak.

"Sweet dreams, Angel," Vader whispered.

* * *

Vader grabbed his communicator from outside. The ten seconds it took to retrieve it froze his whole face.

He proceeded to a room as far away from Padmé as possible in case she woke up. He put his mask and helmet back on and punched in Piett's code. The Admiral's hologram soon appeared.

"Lord Vader!" Piett exclaimed. "Where are you? You need to come back immediately- the Emperor is on board."

"Keep your voice down, Piett," Vader ordered. "It's a long story, but I need your help and the Emperor cannot know about this."

"Of course, anything, my Lord," Piett answered. "Is the girl with you? The Emperor asked if any rebels had escaped and I told him no."

"Good," said Vader. "Yes, she's here. She was the one who ejected the pod. I jumped on to bring her back, but I couldn't override the system. We landed on Hoth."

"Hoth?!" Piett exclaimed. "Well, I'll send some clones to pick you up immediately."

"No!" Vader commanded. "As soon as the Emperor leaves, I want you to come personally and tell no one. I will give you the coordinates." Vader typed in the coordinates for where the pod had landed and confirmed that Piett had received them.

"Is there anything else you require, my Lord?" Piett asked.

"Yes," Vader answered. "Bring a bag filled with food that looks like it could have been hunted on an ice planet. I don't care if it tastes good. Some ice fish or something."

Piett was smart enough to put two and two together. "You're not planning on staying on Hoth, are you?"

"I am," Vader answered, "and no more questions."

"Understood," Piett answered. "I will contact you as soon as the Emperor departs."

"Excellent," Vader replied. "Vader out."

He ended the communication, silently wondering if he was crazy. But Vader had a plan- a plan where, if successful, he would never have to return to Sidious again.

 _And if Padmé will have me, we can run away together…_

* * *

 **This was one of my favorite chapters to write so far! I'm so excited to hear what you all think about Vader's backstory and his growing relationship with Padmé, as well as your theories regarding how Vader will evade Sidious! Coming up next: Padmé gets a little curious about Vader's fever comment about Obi-Wan…**


	14. Padmé's Revelation

Vader was beginning to grow restless. There was only so many times he could almost fix and then unfix the rebel communicator. His restlessness was leading to frustration, which was leading to a strong desire to kill something…

But every time he looked into Padmé's big brown eyes, he immediately softened. Even though they stood for very different things, she accepted him. More than that- she wanted to be around him. No one ever willingly volunteered to spend time with the fearsome Lord Vader.

He decided to go look for her. She had woken up a few hours ago and told him she was working on "a surprise", so he had to stay away for a bit.

Vader stalked through the base, occasionally calling out her name. She responded when he reached the front door. "Out here!"

Curious as to what she was doing outside in the cold, Vader pushed the door open.

"Surprise!" Padmé exclaimed. "Do you like it?"

Padmé was standing next to three balls of snow stacked on top of one another, about the same height as herself.

"Um…" Vader began. "What is it?"

Padmé's mouth dropped in shock. "You've never made a snowman before?!"

"It doesn't really snow much where I'm from," Vader replied.

"And where is that?" Padmé asked.

Vader paused for a moment. He certainly couldn't say Tatooine, or else she would launch into a conversation about how Anakin Skywalker was from Tatooine too and start asking if they were friends or something.

"Corellia," he answered.

Padmé frowned, but said nothing in return.

 _She knows I'm lying._

"Maybe you can teach me how to make one," Vader suggested, eager to spend some time with her.

Her frown turned to a smile. She was clearly pleased by this idea.

Soon Padmé and Vader were playing in the snow like little children. Vader hadn't felt so carefree in a long time. He was actually laughing. Vader was unaware he was still capable of laughter.

Vader's finished snowman was significantly taller than Padmé's. "We should decorate them like ourselves," said Padmé. "Let's see what we can find inside."

Vader humored her and followed her to multiple closets so she could search for items to put on the snowmen.

"We need something blue for your eyes," she stated.

"My eyes aren't blue," Vader replied.

Padmé turned around, looking at him directly. "Yes, they are."

Vader immediately grew concerned. His eyes hadn't been blue since the Jedi purge a couple years ago. They were yellow, just as they should be for a Sith.

 _What is happening to me?_

Vader watched as Padmé decorated the snowmen. Hers had two wooden arms, but his only had one. "Where's my other arm?" he asked.

Padmé picked up a strip of metal and stuck it into the right torso of Vader's snowman.

 _My mechanical limb._

At first, Vader was offended. Even a little angry. But then she stepped aside and he noticed something- the snowmen were holding hands. The wooden hand of snow Padmé was holding the metal hand of snow Vader.

Real Padmé proceeded to Vader's side and grabbed hold of the glove that covered his mechanical hand. She squeezed tightly.

Vader wasn't sure what to do. He was able to infer that Padmé didn't care that he was only half a man. It didn't scare her. _Why?_

Vader pulled his hand away from Padmé's and said, "We should go inside. It's getting dark."

* * *

Padmé couldn't help but feel disappointed when he pulled away from her, but knew that she would freeze if they stayed outside for much longer.

She sat down beside a heater, warming her body and munching on more dried food. Her canteen was running low on water, which was incredibly concerning considering their situation.

"How is the communicator coming?" Padmé asked.

Vader just grunted.

"We're almost out of food and water from the pod," she pointed out. "We're not going to survive much longer if you can't get that thing up and running."

"Padmé, you're forgetting something," said Vader. "We're on an ice planet."

"Yeah, and that's why it's even more important to…" Padmé began, but stopped, finally realizing her own stupidity. "Ice is water. Got it."

Vader smirked.

"Well, we still need food," she continued.

"I'll figure something out," Vader replied.

"What about a shower?" Padmé asked. "I feel gross and smell terrible."

"You smell fine," Vader responded. "If it's that important to you, then I'll melt some ice tomorrow and you can dump it on yourself."

Vader's serious lack of planning skills bothered Padmé. He was always so sure of himself, yet he never took time to come up with a solid plan.

 _Good to know that the second most powerful man in the galaxy just likes to take things minute by minute._

Padmé suddenly remembered something she had been meaning to ask about and figured he was in a good enough mood at the moment.

"Can I ask you something?" she said.

"Sure," Vader responded.

"Well, when you were passed out and had a fever," Padmé began, "you were mumbling something about Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Vader immediately snapped to attention.

"What's your question, Senator?" he said coldly.

 _Back to "Senator". This can't be good._

"Well, I know he's a Jedi, so I was just wondering how you knew him," said Padmé, beginning to wish she hadn't started the conversation in the first place.

"It doesn't matter," Vader answered. "Whether or not he's alive, Kenobi has been dead to me for years and I don't want to hear his name again."

Padmé nodded, dropping the subject. "Well, I'm just going to go to bed."

She made her way back to the bed she had slept in the night before and tried to make herself comfortable, but gave up after about an hour. She knew what was troubling her, but also knew it was a huge risk to try to fix it.

She decided to take the risk.

Padmé returned to the room where she had been with Vader earlier. He was sitting and staring at a wall, deep in thought. She coughed to alert him of her presence.

"I can't sleep," she said.

"And?" Vader replied.

"And…" She took a deep breath. "I was wondering if maybe you would come stay with me for a bit. Like you have for the past couple nights."

The surprise was evident on Vader's face, but there was no obvious malice. He took quite a while to respond after pondering her request.

"Sure," he said, getting up to follow her.

Padmé lay back on the uncomfortable mattress, holding her hand out to Vader. She could tell he was hesitant to accept it, but did so anyway.

As soon as he was beside her, he winced.

"Does your wampa cut still hurt?" Padmé asked. "You shouldn't put pressure on it."

"It's fine," Vader said, shifting himself a bit until he was in a position where he could relax. Padmé continued holding his hand and he wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her closer to him.

 _What am I doing?_

Padmé was finally trying to make sense of this moment and the other moments they had shared. At first she thought it was just because they were the only two people on a deserted planet and something like this was bound to happen, but now she was beginning to see things differently.

And it scared her.

Some small part of Padmé was whispering to her that even if there were other men on Hoth, or if they were somewhere that was actually inhabited, she would still pick Vader. She was unmistakably drawn to this man.

 _The man who slaughtered the Jedi, tortured my friend, and imprisoned me for weeks._

A couple small tears began to roll down her pale cheeks.

"What's wrong?" Vader asked.

His tone was one of care and concern, but was it genuine? Padmé did not know if a Sith Lord was even capable of caring. Perhaps this was all an act to break down her walls and gain more information about the rebels. And until now, she didn't realize how truly hurt she would be if that were true.

"Nothing," she replied.

Vader rolled her over to face him and she found herself once again weakened by the intensity of his blue eyes. They reminded her of the lake on Naboo. She felt at home with him. With this horrible man that she barely knew.

"Tell me what's wrong," Vader insisted.

Padmé couldn't hold back her feelings any longer. Everything spilled out at once. "I don't know what to think anymore," she said. "I thought I had my life all planned out. I hate the Empire and I hated you more for everything you've done. I wasn't expecting the way you've treated me these past few weeks. There's more to you than everyone sees, but I just need to know if it's real. I need to know if you really care about me."

Vader was clearly confused by her confession. "Do you still hate me?" he asked.

"No," Padmé sniffled. "But I should."

She rolled over again, breaking their gaze. "I think…" she started. "I think I'm falling in love with you."

Padmé waited for a response from Vader, but none came. She waited for him to get up, to walk away and stop speaking to her. But he didn't. Instead he pulled her close again and she drifted to sleep.

* * *

 **One of the moments you've been waiting for! I think the next big question is…will Vader finally admit how he feels about her? Thanks for all your recent reviews and I'm looking forward to what you have to say about this chapter!**


	15. Til Death Did Him Part

_"I think I'm falling in love with you…"_

Vader's eyes snapped open and he blinked a few times as he adjusted to the light coming in through the small holes in the walls. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd slept through the whole night.

He noticed Padmé was still asleep, clutching his cloak tightly to her body. _She must be cold._

Vader wrapped his arms around her again, trying to make sense of what she'd said to him the night before. _How could this beautiful Angel possibly love a monster like me?_

He began to think that perhaps he might be feeling the same thing. That "love" is the word he was looking for to describe the fuzzy emotions that plagued him whenever she was in his arms.

But it couldn't be possible. Sith know not of love, only hatred.

Vader tried to evade his thoughts by leaving Padmé to check his messages. A layer of snow had covered the dead wampa, which helped the stench, but was frustrating to dig through to get his communicator.

 _I need to find a better spot for this._

Sure enough, there was a message from Piett.

"The Emperor has just departed the _Executor_ , my Lord," the Admiral stated. "He sent out thousands of clone troopers to search for you. I'll try to keep them away from Hoth, but things are a bit chaotic here at the moment. I will meet you at the coordinates you sent me in a few hours. Piett out."

Vader frowned. If the Emperor was determined to find him, then it was bound to happen at some point. But surely Hoth would not be the first place they would search.

Vader had to admit that he was almost a bit pleased that there was chaos in his absence. It proved his theory that his troopers and crew were more loyal to himself than to the Emperor. This would definitely come in handy someday when he made his move to dethrone and destroy Sidious.

Vader returned to the bedroom and leaned down, gazing at Padmé's sleeping form. "I'll be back," he whispered as he gently pushed a curl out of her face.

He proceeded to the room where he had left his mask and helmet. They were a necessary part of his plan and would keep him warm on his trek back to the pod.

Yet Vader found himself surprisingly hesitant to put them back on. For the first time in years, he felt free. Free to walk around and do whatever he wanted during the day without hiding under a cheap black helmet. The mask that he had once found to be a source of comfort that hid his hideous scars from the public was now useless and only served to remind him of his Master.

 _Padmé likes me the way I am, so it's time that I did too._

For the last time, Darth Vader donned his disguise. He headed out the main door and began to trudge through the snow without any second thoughts about what he was going to do. His mind was made up, and he sincerely hoped he could trust Piett on this risky mission…

* * *

Firmus Piett found himself rapidly approaching the ice planet Hoth in a small two-man ship. On the passenger seat was a bag filled with dead ice fish giving off a quite unpleasant odor.

 _"You- Stormtrooper, what's your number?"_

 _"KT-945, Sir," the trooper responded, "but you can call me Kurt if you'd like."_

 _Piett was slightly thrown off. This was the first time a clone had ever introduced himself with a name. He knew that he should scold him for this display of independence, but realized the job he was about to assign him would be punishment enough._

 _"You will go to the planet Mygeeto," Piett ordered. "Your task there is ice fishing."_

 _"Ice fishing, Sir?" Kurt repeated._

 _"Yes," Piett confirmed, "and bring me back as many fish as you can carry as soon as possible."_

 _"Is this a mission for the Emperor?" Kurt asked._

 _"No, this is a mission for myself," Piett answered, "and the Emperor cannot know about this under any circumstances. I shall come up with a suitable cover story for you in the logs should anyone ask about it. If your loyalties lie with Lord Vader, you will do this without question."_

 _"Orders understood, Admiral Piett," the trooper responded. "I shall leave right away."_

Kurt had returned at night with far more fish than Piett was expecting. Piett therefore promoted him one rank under the condition that he use his number, not his name. KT-945 accepted the offer.

As Piett entered Hoth's atmosphere and drew closer to the frozen land, he noticed a small dark object. That was his destination.

 _Vader's escape pod._

He landed a few meters away and felt a whip of cold air as he exited his vehicle.

 _Let's get this over with. I can't trust Ozzel in charge for too long._

Piett dragged the bag of fish over to the pod, where Vader was waiting inside. He seemed oddly unfazed by the weather, but perhaps it was because of the suit.

"It's good to see you, my Lord," Piett began. "I hope you haven't been waiting too long."

"Long enough," Vader responded, ducking out of the pod to meet his Admiral. "Did you bring what I asked?"

Piett handed over the bag. Vader said nothing, which he took to mean he was pleased.

"I need your help with one more thing," said the Dark Lord, "but first I must ask where your loyalties lie."

"With you, my Lord," Piett responded.

"And the Emperor?" Vader asked.

Piett took a moment to correctly word his reply. "If I could choose one life to save between the two of you, it would be yours."

"Glad to hear it," Vader responded, "but now you're going to help kill me."

"Excuse me?" Piett said, confused.

Vader began to strip out of his suit, leaving on only his boots, a long-sleeved black shirt, and a pair of black sweatpants. As he slowly removed his mask and helmet, Piett was tempted to look away.

 _What is he doing? Will he kill me for seeing his face?_

Piett couldn't help but take a small peek. He was not expecting the sight. It wasn't the fact that Vader had strange scars or half a head of hair, but merely that he was so young. Piett had been taking orders from someone who was barely out of his teen years.

Of course, he did not vocalize his thoughts and tried his best to keep his face clear of them. He failed.

"What surprises you more, Piett?" the boy Sith asked. "The scars or the age?"

Piett gulped. "The age, I suppose."

"The Jedi were plucked from their homes as infants and held powerful positions in the Republic at this age," Vader commented. "Naboo has children for queens. Do you question my ability to rule based upon how many years I've been alive?"

"Absolutely not, my Lord," Piett responded quickly.

"Good," Vader answered before throwing his suit, mask, and helmet into the pod. "Now go to your ship and find something to light a fire. A big one."

Piett followed his orders and returned with a pack of matches. "This is all I have, Sir."

"It'll do," Vader responded, grabbing the small box and setting to work.

As he began to throw small flames into the pod, Piett understood.

"You're faking your death."

"That I am, Admiral," Vader responded as the pod began to catch fire. "You will send troops to Hoth as part of the Emperor's search. You will send them directly to this area where they will discover the remains of Lord Vader's suit and conclude that I perished in a crash."

"What about a skeleton, Sir?" Piett pointed out. "And your lightsaber."

"You will personally declare me deceased and bring my charred suit to the Emperor," Vader commanded. "He will not ask for bones. And I need my lightsaber, so tell him it must've been buried in the snow and the clones couldn't find it."

Piett watched and took a few steps back as the flames grew higher. He couldn't help but notice that Vader was a little uneasy around the fire.

 _His scars. They're burns._

"I trust that I am leaving the galaxy in safe hands," said Vader, turning to Piett. "The position of second in command will now fall upon you."

"I…but…" Piett stuttered. "I am honored, but I am not fit to hold such a position of authority. The galaxy needs you. As much as people dislike you, they like you a hell of a lot more than the Emperor."

"Well I don't need the galaxy," Vader snapped back. "The Emperor can do as he damn well pleases, but I want no part of it. Perhaps someday I'll resume my position when I chop his head off."

"Sir?" said Piett, a bit frightened.

"I look like this for a reason, Piett," Vader clarified. "And someday I will get my revenge for it. But for now, I just need some time away from the Empire."

Piett nodded and slowly began to return to his ship.

"Piett!" Vader called to him.

"Yes, my Lord?" Piett responded, turning around.

"You're a good friend," said Vader.

Piett couldn't help but be flattered. And notice a distinct change in Vader. He suspected the reason behind it.

"Whoever she is," Piett answered, "take good care of her."

And then Vader smiled. For just a moment, a tiny bit of darkness faded from the Dark Lord. So Piett smiled in return and saluted.

As he flew back through the atmosphere and into space, setting course for the _Executor_ , Piett couldn't help but feel a sense of insecurity that big changes were in store for the Empire. But he knew he would always have his friend to call if he ever needed advice.

* * *

 **Big changes are ahead indeed! Eager to hear what you guys thought of this scene. I've been planning the Piett/Vader friendship thing since the beginning and you will definitely see more Piett in the future…but for now, what do you think Vader is going to do now that he's "dead"?**

 **I sent personal thanks out to anyone who's reviewed so far. If I missed you, so sorry! Also, shoutout to dedicated guest reader Ambre since I can't message you.**


	16. Lies

Padmé sat inside the rebel base with the main door ajar, staring longingly out at the snow-covered landscape. She could tell a storm would be arriving soon.

Padmé couldn't help but blame herself. She had scared Vader off with her words and now he was wandering around who knows where, probably looking for some crashed ship to fix and fly off back to the _Executor_ and abandon her.

 _Why did I have to tell him that I'm falling in love with him?_

Just as the tears began to roll down her cheeks, she noticed a dark shape in the distance slowly growing closer.

 _It's him! He's coming back!_

Padmé stood up and waited for him, her heart beating faster than a pod racer.

When Vader reached the base, he immediately slid the door shut behind him and sunk to the ground.

Padmé was curious about several things: the absence of most of his suit, his reason for leaving in the first place…but mostly what was inside the huge bag he had been dragging along with him.

"What's in the bag?" she asked.

"Padmé," he began, teeth chattering, "Cold."

She was angry at herself for not noticing how blue his skin was. "Right- let's get you to a room with heat."

When they arrived at a spot beside a heater, she proceeded to give him the last of the water from her pod canteen.

"About last night," said Padmé, "I'm so sorry if that's why you left. I didn't mean to…"

"Padmé," Vader interrupted, "I left to get us food."

He opened the bag to reveal about a hundred dead ice fish.

Padmé gasped. "How did you get all those?"

"With a lightsaber and my bare hands," Vader answered. "That's how I lost my gloves."

"And the rest of your suit?" Padmé prodded.

"I don't want that thing anymore," said Vader. "It was getting kind of old anyway."

Padmé wanted to say more because something about his story just wasn't fitting together in her mind. She just had a bit of trouble believing that Darth Vader went ice fishing and then abandoned his signature suit.

 _Where did Vader even learn to ice fish?_

But Padmé didn't press the matter, just happy that he had returned to her in one piece and that they wouldn't have to worry about food for a while.

She didn't know how long they would be stuck on Hoth, but a part of her didn't care. She knew it was wrong and potentially dangerous, but all she wanted was to be alone with Vader. Being rescued could wait.

* * *

The Emperor found himself seated on his throne just like any other ordinary day, but his many dark thoughts were interrupted by the entrance of one of Vader's commanding officers. The one that had met him when he boarded the _Executor._

"Your majesty," the shaking Admiral began with a bow. "I am deeply sorry to interrupt you, but I have grave news."

The Admiral unzipped a bag he was holding and presented to the Emperor…the charred remains of Darth Vader's suit.

The Emperor stood. "What is the meaning of this?!" he shouted.

The Admiral gulped. "We found the escape pod on the planet Hoth. It appeared to have crashed there several days ago and gone up in flames. This is all that was left of Lord Vader."

 _He can't be dead. I would have felt it._

"What of his lightsaber?" the Emperor sneered.

"The clones were unable to locate it," the Admiral responded. "Probably buried."

"Leave me," the Emperor commanded. The Admiral was more than happy to comply.

Something was wrong with this picture. The Emperor shared a bond with his apprentice through the Force. He would have felt a strong tremor if Vader was really dead, unless…

It was a possibility. One of his last conversations with Vader had been about his thoughts of Anakin Skywalker. Perhaps his apprentice had embraced the Light Side moments before his death. It would have severed their dark connection.

Sidious banged his fists against the armrests of his throne. Vader was a great loss to the Empire indeed.

 _And an embarrassment to the Sith if my theory is correct._

He would need to find a new apprentice quickly. It would be a difficult task, as Vader had eliminated most of the Force sensitive beings in the galaxy. But it was necessary. Though he was the Emperor, his apprentice had done all the dirty work of making sure people followed the rules. Sidious just took care of the politics.

And if the Emperor was unable to find someone to replace his lost apprentice, he knew his Empire would be at great risk.

* * *

"Vader is dead!"

Obi-Wan heard the shouts before he located the source. He immediately rushed outside to see one of the rebel spies hurrying toward the base. The spy approached Mon Mothma to explain the situation, but many others had gathered around to listen.

"Darth Vader is dead. They apparently found him in an escape pod that had been launched from the _Executor_ during our mission to recover the memory device. It crashed on the planet Hoth and he didn't survive."

The rebels began to cheer, but fell silent when Mon raised her hand.

"We will, of course, celebrate later," she announced, "but this is also our time to strike. Without Vader, the Empire is weak. Commanding officers, follow me. We must start thinking of attack plans."

Something wasn't right. It was true that Obi-Wan had felt a strange shift in the Force. It was as if the Light Side was growing brighter after having been crushed by the Darkness for so long. But the Darkness was still there.

He returned to his quarters and contacted Master Yoda to consult him on this matter. After a few moments, his hologram appeared.

"Obi-Wan!" Yoda exclaimed. "Good to hear from you, it is."

"I have news," said Obi-Wan. "It seems that Darth Vader is dead."

"Strange, this news is," Yoda responded. "Felt it, I have not."

"Have you felt any shift at all though, Master?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes, yes," Yoda answered. "Stronger, the Light Side seems. A child, perhaps. Strong with the Force, he is. Found and trained as a Jedi, he must be."

"I agree, Master," Obi-Wan responded, "but we must still deal with the situation of Vader. I do not believe he is dead."

"See for yourself, you must then," said Yoda. "Go to the site of his death, you will. Confirmation, you shall or shall not receive. Report to me your findings, you will."

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan responded. "May the Force be with you."

Yoda nodded before ending the connection. Obi-Wan headed to find Mon Mothma to inform her of his mission. Whether or not she approved, this was a crucial mission for the Jedi.

* * *

Padmé felt refreshed for the first time in what had to be at least two weeks. Vader had spent the night with her again, mostly so she could warm him up this time. It was an unspoken action and neither made any comment about Padmé's confession the night before. Now, it was late morning and she was putting her wrinkled gown back on after washing herself with a bucket of ice water that had been melted and heated by Vader.

As she was wringing her hair out, he knocked on the door of the room she was in and she gave him permission to enter.

He was doing the staring thing again. The thing he always used to do with his mask on that made her uncomfortable. But without the mask, Padmé found she actually liked it. Perhaps a bit too much.

"Feeling better?" Vader asked.

"Much," she replied. "Are you going to wash too?"

"Well, if you insist," Vader replied with a smirk.

He suddenly pulled his black shirt off, revealing the taut muscles Padmé had tried to avoid looking at when she bandaged his wound. She gaped at him, thinking about how a few days ago he didn't want her to see him and now he was purposely flaunting himself.

"Help me wash this?" Vader asked, starting to remove the bacta patches.

The sound of his voice brought Padmé back to her senses and she nodded.

Trying not to touch the cut, she carefully examined it. "It's healing," she noted, "but you definitely should have washed it earlier."

"There's a lot of things I should do that I don't do," said Vader.

"I've noticed," Padmé answered with a smile. "Hold still."

She observed as she was dabbing water on parts of the cut that were still quite deep, he didn't even flinch. Vader had a remarkable pain tolerance. She supposed after all that he'd been through, washing out a wampa gash must be equivalent to getting a papercut for him.

"There," Padmé said as she reapplied the bandages. "All better."

She sat back on her heels, only then noticing how close they were to each other. He was kneeling too, only mere inches away from her. Part of her wanted to move back, but Padmé found herself frozen in place as he reached out with his flesh hand and grabbed hold of hers.

Vader was smiling as their eyes interlocked…and then he was leaning toward her.

 _Vader's going to kiss me. What do I do?!_

Fate decided this for Padmé as a faint beeping sound interrupted their moment. She pulled back a bit and tried to find the source. "What is that?" she said.

"Nothing," Vader answered, clearly nervous about something.

Padmé listened more closely, realizing that the sound was coming from Vader's pants pocket.

"Vader…what's in your pocket?" Padmé whispered.

"It's nothing, Padmé…"

"Well if it's nothing, then let me see it!" she shouted.

Before he even had time to think, Padmé had reached her hand in Vader's pocket and snatched out a communicator.

* * *

 **Sorry about the horrible cliffhanger! But don't worry, you won't have to wait too long to find out what happens next because I'm already halfway through the next chapter and I'm going to post it as soon as it's done (perhaps even in the next couple hours). I originally had it as one chapter but it was getting way too long, so I had to split it up.**


	17. Truth

**Alright- here it is! The dramatic moment of truth many of you have been eagerly awaiting. I made this chapter a little longer just for you guys since you're the best readers ever. Enjoy!**

* * *

The amount of emotions that swarmed Padmé in that moment were indecipherable. She was angry. Furious. But part of her was also devastated that Vader had lied to her. His deception felt like a thousand wampas tearing at her heart.

 _What were you expecting? He's a Sith Lord._

The device finally stopped beeping. A small red light showed up, indicating that whoever was trying to reach Vader had left him a message.

"Why?" Padmé asked. It was all she could manage to get out.

"Because I didn't want to leave," Vader answered. "I wanted to stay here with you."

Padmé wanted to believe him, but she couldn't. Everything he had told her up to this point had been a lie.

"You didn't go ice fishing," said Padmé. It was a statement, not a question. "And you're not from Corellia."

"No," Vader replied, his face unreadable. "I'm from Tatooine."

"Why did you lie to me?" Padmé asked. "Have you been using me for information this whole time?"

"What? Padmé, no!" Vader responded. "It started out that way, but right now I don't give a shit where your base is or what your rebel friends are doing. I only care what's happening right here, right now."

Padmé jumped up and backed away from him. "You stay the hell away from me!" she shouted, still clutching his communicator. She was debating which one of her "rebel friends" to call.

"I'm telling you the truth now," Vader insisted. He stood up, but wisely made no move to close the gap between them. "I'm from Tatooine. I was born into slavery. I didn't tell you because…"

"Because you knew I'd ask about Anakin and you lied to me about that too," Padmé finished. "I bet you guys were best friends when you were kids and then you murdered him."

Padmé sensed something in his eyes she had never seen before. It was guilt.

 _I'm right._

"Padmé," he started.

"No!" she yelled back, storming out of the room. "I don't want to hear an explanation."

She could hear his footsteps following her. All she wanted to do was make it to the main door and run as fast as she could, far away from Vader.

"Just hear me out!" he shouted.

"Give me one good reason why I kriffing should!" Padmé answered, still making her way toward the door.

"Because I love you!"

Padmé halted. She wasn't expecting that. But the words that mere minutes ago would have given her pure joy now only made her hate him more. "It's too late for that," she stated without turning around.

"Padmé Amidala, I have loved you since the day I met you eleven years ago," Vader said.

This caught her attention. She turned around. "What are you talking about?"

"Eleven years ago," he continued, "you came to Tatooine with Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn looking for money to fix your ship and get off Tatooine. I asked if you were an angel and you told me I was funny. You stayed with my mother and me during a sandstorm. I won a pod race to help get your money. And then I left Tatooine with you and I made you that necklace that you're wearing right now so you'd always remember me."

Padmé grabbed hold of the Japor snippet. "You're sick!" she shouted. "You killed Anakin! Don't you dare pretend to be him. Anakin was the sweetest boy I've ever met. If he was alive, he would be nothing like you!"

"Anakin died," Vader responded, ignoring her outburst, "but I didn't kill him. He was killed the day Count Dooku gave me these scars and he was reborn as Darth Vader. But even as Vader, I never stopped loving you." He paused. "Look at me. Look into my eyes. Search your feelings, Padmé. You know it's true."

Padmé just stared for a few moments, trying to overcome the shock. As she studied his pleading, aquamarine eyes and the blonde hair, which had darkened a bit from lack of exposure to Tatooine suns, it finally hit her.

She sunk to the ground, one hand still clutching the Japor snippet. The other held up her head as she wept. She cried out of rage for the lies he had told her. She cried that the little boy who had made her good luck charm grew into a beast. But most of all, she cried out of pity for everything that happened that had made him that way.

Vader slowly and cautiously approached her, kneeling to her level. She tried to look at him, but it only made the tears flow faster. She was beginning to have trouble breathing.

 _I'm having a panic attack._

Vader, no- Anakin, no- Vader, sensed her pain and pulled her toward him. "Ani, no!" Padmé cried. "No!"

He let go of her and stood, leaving her alone in her misery to process everything. Part of her wanted to run, but the other part wanted to sit on the cold cement and weep for hours.

The latter part won.

* * *

It was night by the time the sounds of her sorrow ceased. Vader watched as Padmé made her way to the bedroom, eyes red and puffy. He made no move to join her and she slammed the door shut behind her.

To be honest, Vader had felt like crying himself. It wasn't the pain of digging into his past and revealing his innermost memories and thoughts, but the fact that he had hurt the woman he loved. His Angel.

If he had realized how much pain this would cause her, he never would have done it in the first place. He would have fixed the communicator, gone back to the _Executor_ , and let her run free back to her rebel friends.

But Vader wanted to be with her far more than he wanted to be a part of the Empire. Couldn't she see that? He had abandoned his suit and came up with a way for them to be together all the time. He thought that was what she wanted, especially when she told him that she loved him.

Now, Vader was just confused.

He sat with his back to the door, listening through the thin wood as Padmé called someone using his communicator, which he had made no effort to retrieve from her. He deserved to be turned into the rebels.

"Padmé!" a woman's voice exclaimed. "Thank heavens you're alright! Where the devil have you been? We thought you'd been captured. Your parents are so worried."

"Don't worry, Mon, I'll call them next," said Padmé. "I was captured. I tried to escape in a pod, but Vader jumped in after me and we landed on Hoth."

"Oh, yes!" the woman called Mon exclaimed. "We heard of his death and the men are rejoicing. We had no idea you were with him. How did you manage to get away before the explosion?"

Then there was silence. Vader wondered what she was thinking. Would she give him away?

"Just got lucky, I guess," she answered. "I'm at the former rebel base. Can you send someone to pick me up?"

"Actually, Master Kenobi is on his way to Hoth right now to investigate the scene of Vader's death," the woman replied. "He doesn't believe the rumors- something about not feeling a disturbance in the Force. I will contact him immediately and let him know there is no need to visit the crash site and to go directly to the base."

Vader tuned out the rest of the conversation.

 _Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan is coming here._

The hatred surged through him. The man he had once thought to be his older brother, a father figure even, had abandoned him. Obi-Wan was part of the reason Vader was Vader.

Vader had enough decency to wait until Padmé was finished speaking with and calming her worried parents until he barged through the door.

"Obi-Wan is coming?!" he shouted.

"Yes," Padmé answered. "Well, this should be one hell of a reunion."

"Of all people, why him? I hate that man!"

"Obi-Wan spent years looking for you, Anakin!" Padmé yelled. "The man has gray hairs from stressing out so much. He almost abandoned the Order because he was so mad at himself for failing you! I was with him when he told your mother and he cried. You meant the world to him!"

Vader stopped. For once, he had no idea what to say. This changed everything. If only he'd known…

But it was too late now. Even if his hatred for the Jedi Master had subsided significantly in the course of a mere minute, he had still failed him. Sidious had been stronger. The Jedi were weak.

"So are you going to kill him too like you killed all the other Jedi?" Padmé snapped.

Vader knew he should. It had been ingrained in his mind for years that the Jedi were traitors. But he wouldn't simply because he knew it was what Sidious would want him to do, and Vader wanted to do the opposite of anything Sidious wanted.

"No, I will not kill him," Vader replied.

He could tell Padmé was a little surprised, but she handed his communicator back to him without hesitation. "Go- listen to your message. Call one of your little soldier friends and have them pick you up."

"I'd rather stay here on this ball of ice forever than go back to the Empire," said Vader.

"Why?" Padmé replied. "You're the Emperor's second in command. You have the power to do anything and everything you want. And I should just hold onto this and strand you here, but instead I'm giving you a second chance."

"You don't understand, Padmé," Vader responded. "Until now, I couldn't do anything I wanted. I was the Emperor's puppet. If I had to choose between doing his dirty work and being stranded here forever, I would pick here. But if you're truly giving me a second chance, then I want to come with you. I faked my own death just so I could be with you."

"And why would you even think I would let you do that?" said Padmé. "So you can finally learn the location of the rebel base and annihilate us?"

"No," Vader answered. "I have no intention of hurting you. Tell them who I am for all I care. Let them execute me for my war crimes." He paused. "A life without your love is not a life worth living."

Padmé looked up at him, but said nothing.

"You do still love me, don't you?" Vader prompted.

"I'm…I'm not sure," Padmé replied. "Because I don't know who you really are. Against my better judgment, I fell in love with Vader, allowing myself to be deceived and heartbroken by his lies. I could never love Vader again. But there is a chance I could love Anakin." She fiddled with the Japor snippet.

Vader kneeled down in front of Padmé, avoiding the temptation to grab her hands. "I don't know if I can ever be Anakin again. I've been through too much. But what I do know is that I certainly don't want to be Vader."

"So who are you then?" Padmé questioned.

Vader thought about his reply. "I'm someone in-between. Someone who needs time to discover who he is."

She seemed satisfied with this answer, but gave no indication as to whether or not she would let him tag along when Obi-Wan showed up.

"You should try to get some rest," said the in-between man.

"No," Padmé replied bluntly.

He stood there awkwardly a moment before departing to give her some space again. The in-between man roamed aimlessly throughout the base, unsure of what his future would hold. But as long as she was a part of it, he didn't really care.

* * *

 **Alright, so now I have some sad news. I am going back to college for spring semester this weekend, which means significantly less time to work on this. Don't worry- the story won't be abandoned! Just expect updates every 2 weeks or so instead of 2 days (or, in the case of this chapter, 2 hours...). Thanks to all of you for being so incredibly supportive and helping make this such a great story! -Lyanna**


	18. Reunion

**So…hi there. I'd like to begin by formally apologizing for disappearing for months. I understand most of you are probably upset with me, and I'd be upset with me too if I were you. All I have is the busy semester/full time summer job/lack of motivation excuse. I'm not sure I'll be able to get this whole thing done by the end of the summer, but I'll try my best. I'd really like to thank all the new followers I've gained though and I'm so happy you're enjoying the story.**

Obi-Wan landed his clunky ship as smoothly as he could beside the charred ruins of Vader's escape pod on Hoth. He circled it twice and peeked inside. There was no sign of Vader or his remains.

 _Obviously the Empire has already collected anything useful. What am I even looking for?_

Suddenly, he heard his communicator beeping in his pocket. He pulled it out, fumbling a bit with all the layers of clothing.

"Kenobi here," the Jedi shouted over the strong icy winds.

"It's Mon," said the voice of Mon Mothma. "I just received word from Padmé- she's alive and has taken shelter in the abandoned rebel base on Hoth. She was in the pod with Vader when they crashed and managed to escape."

Obi-Wan's heart raced, relieved to hear that his friend was safe and nearby, yet this also added to his suspicions about the whole situation.

"That's great news," he stated. "I will retrieve her at once and let you know when we are headed back to the base. Kenobi out."

Obi-Wan shoved the communicator back in his pocket and re-boarded his ship, setting his course southeast. He arrived fifteen minutes later and hopped down into the snow. He grinned at the sight of his friend standing in a tattered gown at the open door of the barely-standing building. She had lost a few pounds, likely due to malnourishment, but appeared otherwise healthy.

He hurried toward her and she embraced him warmly.

"Obi-Wan!" Padmé exclaimed. "It's so good to see you."

"And you, as well, my lady," Obi-Wan responded. "We'd all begun to fear the worst when we found out you were with Vader."

"Well, you had nothing to fear," she replied, taking a step back.

"I can see that," the Jedi master concluded. "Tell me, how have you managed to survive this long?"

Padmé paused, clearly hesitant about something.

The something appeared to be a very tall man, who slowly stepped out into the corridor behind her. Obi-Wan jumped, but it was not his height, nor his mysterious scars, nor his metal hand or the fact that he was dressed in black from head to toe that elicited this reaction. The man gave off a very strong Force signal, not Light but not quite Dark either. Something about this didn't sit right with Obi-Wan.

 _Perhaps this is the disturbance Master Yoda and I felt._

"Hello," the man said in a deep voice, clearing his throat. His expression was unreadable.

"Hello," Obi-Wan replied, nodding his head in courtesy. "And you might be?..."

"John," Padmé interrupted. "John Heartkiller, a Corellian Imperial deserter."

Obi-Wan tensed at the word "Imperial".

"Is that so?" the Jedi asked.

"Yes, Sir," the man answered. "That's me, John Heartkiller."

Obi-Wan noticed him shoot a glare in Padmé's direction as he placed emphasis on his last name.

 _Yes, something definitely is not right here._

"I see," Obi-Wan continued. "And how did you come to end up here on Hoth, soldier?"

"That'll be Admiral, actually," John answered. "I deserted about a year ago after I found out the Empire killed my family on Corellia. They were trying to pass through a crowd of rioters who were bombed."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Obi-Wan. "If I may ask, though, where were you stationed? I'm sure you're aware that the Rebellion keeps a detailed list of all high-ranking Imperial officials and I don't recall seeing your name."

"Covert Ops," John answered promptly. "I worked on a mission called Operation Red Sand, to be exact, based on the Outer Rim. Highly classified, but no threat to the Rebellion, I assure you."

Obi-Wan thought he saw a smirk from Padmé, but she quickly concealed it.

 _Looks like I'm going to have to play their game in order to figure out what's going on here…_

"Alright, Mr. Heartkiller," said Obi-Wan, taking another look at the scarred face. "As I'm sure you've heard, Padmé here has been through quite a lot these past couple months and I'm sure she is eager to be reunited with her friends and family. I extend my dearest thanks for keeping her safe until my arrival, but I'm sure you'll understand why we must part ways here."

"You're sure about a great many things, Mr. Kenobi," John answered, "but I, for one, am not. Do enlighten me."

The two men locked eyes, their expressions remaining stoic.

 _Did I tell him my last name was Kenobi?_

"Well, Admiral," Obi-Wan explained, "the location to which I will be taking Padmé is the heart of the Rebellion itself, and knowing your involvement with the Empire, I can't with good judgment allow you to come along."

"I assure you, An…John poses no threat, Obi-Wan," Padmé interrupted, strangely stumbling over her words. "Trust me."

Obi-Wan watched as the two exchanged another look, frustrated that he was still unable to deduce anything from it. He turned his own eyes to Padmé.

"Padmé," he began, trying to keep his voice even, "I'm not suggesting that we leave this man here on Hoth. I'd be more than willing to offer him a lift to wherever he needs to be."

"Where he needs to be is hiding from the Empire," the former Senator snapped, "and what better place to do that than at a hidden base full of people who hate the Empire?"

Obi-Wan turned his attention again to John, trying to read him through the Force, but was unable to get through.

 _This guy is mentally shielding himself. He's been trained…perhaps it would be a good idea to keep an eye on him._

"Fine," Obi-Wan conceded, "but let's leave now. An hour on this wretched planet has been enough for me. I'm not sure how you two managed to do it."

Obi-Wan turned and led the way outside to his ship. It was a bit cramped, considering he hadn't been planning on making his return journey with two other passengers, one of which was practically a giant. From John's footsteps boarding, Obi-Wan hypothesized that he might have a metal leg, as well.

He watched as John ducked to avoid the low ceilings and pulled the hatch shut behind him. It took three tries and squeaked dangerously before it finally locked.

"Wow, this thing really isn't good for quick getaways, is it?" said the tall man.

Obi-Wan blinked in a moment of what seemed like déjà vu, but he couldn't quite remember where he'd heard the joke before.

"No, it's not," Obi-Wan replied before heading to the cockpit to assume his pilot's position. He fiddled with the controls, starting the engine when he noticed John staring at him again.

"Anything I can help you with?" Obi-Wan asked, trying to pretend that the hairs on his arms weren't tingling a bit. He wasn't afraid of this man, but his gaze definitely made Obi-Wan uneasy.

"Just wondering if you needed any help," said John. "As you might be able to imagine, it's been a while since I've been in a cockpit and I've missed it a bit."

Something about the way John eyed the controls made Obi-Wan think that his statement was genuine, yet the rational part of his brain screamed that it was a trap.

"I think I'm all good here," Obi-Wan stated, "and I'll take the reins since I know our destination."

"Fair enough," John said with a frown before stepping into the back of the ship.

As Obi-Wan set course for Jakku, he considered contacting Master Yoda about the enigma that was Admiral John Heartkiller, but decided against it since only a thin metal door separated the cockpit from the only other room on the ship. If Heartkiller was indeed trained in the ways of the Force, here was not the place for confrontation.

* * *

"Heartkiller? Really? That was a low blow."

"Shh! He'll hear you!" Padmé snapped. "Do you want to get killed?"

"Do I want to get killed?" he responded, stepping closer to her. "Please, we both know if it came to that, Obi-Wan would lose all his limbs before he even had a chance to lunge at me. The power of the Sith will always triumph over the old-fashioned Jedi ways."

"So you're still Vader then?" she asked.

He flinched at hearing the name, even though he knew he shouldn't. He had been Vader for years and was proud to hold the title of second-in-command of the galaxy…but he wasn't anymore. He had relinquished that title to Piett, and for what? A woman. A woman who said the name with so much disgust that it made him cringe and feel horrible about himself.

Yet the name she wanted to call him, Anakin…he couldn't bear to hear that either. He had spent too long repressing any memories he had of the person he used to be. Still, when he looked at Padmé now wearing the Japor snippet Anakin had made for her, it made him want to be that person again.

"I can't," he said to himself, not realizing the words had actually been verbalized.

"What?" said Padmé.

"No," he stated, sinking to the cold floor across from her. "I'm not Vader. But I'm also not Anakin." He paused to flinch at that name, as well.

"Then who are you?" the angelic voice asked. "And don't say someone in-between."

"Right now, Padmé, I'm John Heartkiller," John concluded, "and we'll figure out the rest later."

A silence fell between them for a few moments before John let out a chuckle.

"What the hell could possibly be funny right now?" said a clearly-irritated Padmé.

"It's just, I spent weeks trying to get you to tell me where this goddamned base is, and now you're taking me right to it," John responded.

"Glad to know you're still so excited about this," said Padmé. "Feel free to call up your Imperial friends and rat us out the minute we land. You'll be a hero and it'll save your reputation if you suddenly reappear from the dead and slaughter every important rebel in the galaxy. In fact, why not just go back into the cockpit, kill Obi-Wan now, and let the ship keep going where it's going and call in backup before we even get there?"

"I like the way you think, Senator," John replied, "but I told you I don't care about the base anymore and I meant it. I told you I wouldn't kill Obi-Wan and I meant that too. If what you say is true about him spending so long searching for me…I mean, for Anakin…then I suppose I have no reason to. Sidious lied to me about the Jedi abandoning me. I shouldn't be surprised. He's lied about a great many things."

John subconsciously touched his lightsaber, carefully hidden beneath his shirt instead of exposed on his belt.

"So where do we go from here?" Padmé asked.

"I don't know, Padmé," said John. "All I know for sure is that I love you. I have always loved you and I always will, and if I have to kill Sidious for us to be together, then it will be done."

He extended his flesh hand to her and sensed her conflicted emotions. To his surprise, she accepted the gesture and folded her hand into his.

Their moment was interrupted by a sliding door and an equally surprised Obi-Wan.

"Oh…uh, I'm sorry," the Jedi said. "I just thought I'd inform you that we've just entered hyperspace and our ETA is six standard hours. Also, there's some snacks in the top corner compartment. Not much, but I'm sure it's better than whatever you've been eating on Hoth."

"Thank you," replied John, internally cursing the man for killing the first relatively romantic moment he'd shared with Padmé since his big identity reveal.

 _Did I just say "thank you"? When was the last time I said that?_

As Obi-Wan returned to the cockpit and left the pair alone, John helped himself to a packet of dried cranberries and nuts. The man was right- much better than fish.

As John stared out the small window at the stars blazing by, he was struck by the uncertainty of his future. He decided it would be best to let Padmé use these hours to think, while he would use them to meditate.


	19. Just Friends

John shielded his eyes from the scorching sunlight as he stepped down from Obi-Wan's spacecraft onto…sand. Lots and lots of sand.

"Jakku," he muttered to Padmé, who followed closely behind him. "Clever choice. I wouldn't even have thought to look here."

"Because you hate sand?" Padmé teased, quickening her pace to keep up with the strides of his tall figure.

"I don't just hate sand," John replied. "I hate desert planets in general. They remind me too much of where I came from."

"You mean, where Anakin came from," Padmé pointed out.

John scowled. "Vader also came from Tatooine," he stated, and as she opened her mouth to say something else, he added, "Don't start with this again."

The pair were joined shortly by Obi-Wan, who gave John another long, silent stare-down before proceeding forward to embrace the welcome party.

 _Does he recognize me? No, he can't…it's been too long._

John received many more stares over the next several minutes from rebels that, just a couple months ago, he would have slaughtered with joy. He found himself growing slightly enraged at their silent judgments of his jagged burn scars and robotic hand and began to reach for his lightsaber as if instinct willed him to kill at least one of them for their disrespect. Yet, as if Padmé sensed his plight, he suddenly found her hand grabbing hold of his flesh one, preventing him from revealing his weapon and hence, his identity. At first, his fingers remained stiff, unsure of what to do with so many people watching, but soon allowed them to bend around hers and he squeezed her tiny, smooth palm to give her reassurance.

John tuned into the conversation happening a few feet away from them between Obi-Wan and the one he recognized to be Padmé's friend Mon Mothma, who had embraced her wholeheartedly upon her safe arrival.

"Have you found anything useful concerning the death of Vader?" Mon asked the Jedi.

"Unfortunately not," Obi-Wan responded. "The crash site did appear a bit suspicious, and though I have reason to believe he may still be alive, I also have reason to believe that he may be dead. For now, I suggest we stick with dead and move forward with our plans."

"I agree," said Mon before turning to address her rebel soldiers. "Alright everyone! Now that our biggest threat has been eliminated, it's time to focus on taking the fight directly to the Emperor. We have the army, the ships, and the intelligence. All that's left to do is strike."

"No," John spurted out, causing a hundred heads to turn in his direction and an almost painfully hard squeeze from Padmé.

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes, glancing quickly between the interlocked hands and John's face. "And why exactly is that, Mr. Heartkiller? Surely your loyalties no longer lie with the Empire, as you assured me several hours ago."

"Trust me," said John, pulling his hand free and taking a step toward his former teacher. "I have no love for the Emperor. I harbor just as much hatred toward him as all of you, if not more. You just don't have all the resources you think you do to pull this off. He'll always be one step ahead of you because that's how he works. His intelligence is far stronger than yours, as is his security, speaking as someone who's been on the inside."

He turned to Mon Mothma, who appeared to be thinking.

"Perhaps, Admiral," she said after a moment, "you could offer us some insight into the Emperor's habits and help us formulate a better plan, then."

John paused, taking in the irony of the whole situation. His arch-nemesis who believed him to be dead was asking him for help killing the one man he was supposed to die to protect…and he was considering helping them. Yet the real reason he had spoken up in protest was because this was his mission. His destiny. He had spent the past decade plotting the brutal murder of his Master and he was not going to let this ragtag band of unskilled rebels in sand-covered orange suits take that away from him.

And so, he just answered with, "Perhaps." 

* * *

Obi-Wan excused himself from attending a meeting, claiming exhaustion from his trip, and retired to his quarters. He fetched his personal communicator and managed to make contact with Master Yoda.

"Greetings, Master," Obi-Wan said.

"Greetings, Obi-Wan," the hologram of the little green man responded. "News to share, you have?"

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied. "I believe I may have found the source of the disturbance we felt, but he is not a child nor related to the death of Vader. I found him on my mission to Hoth to investigate the death where I stumbled across our friend Padmé taking shelter in the abandoned base."

"Interesting. Very interesting," Yoda mused. "Sure that these incidents are unrelated, you are?"

"What do you mean, Master?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Found this man on Hoth, you say," said Yoda. "Where Vader's ship crashed, Hoth is."

"Yes," Obi-Wan continued, "but surely you're not insinuating that this man was somehow responsible for his death?"

"If strong with the Force, this man is," replied Yoda, "then presume him innocent, we cannot."

Obi-Wan scratched the hairs on his chin, contemplating the Master's words. Perhaps, Yoda might be onto something. He would need to investigate.

"Thank you, Master," said Obi-Wan. "This conversation has been of great assistance to me. I shall update you if I find a link between the two. May the Force be with you."

"And with you, Obi-Wan," Yoda replied before his hologram faded.

Obi-Wan changed into a set of robes, eager to be free of the many layers he donned for his trip to the ice planet. He attached his lightsaber to his belt and attempted to tap into the Force presence of Heartkiller. He could sense that he was nearby, but nothing more. It was time to stop ignoring his suspicions and ask the Admiral a few questions. 

* * *

Padmé pushed open the door to the room which Mon had assigned to Anakin.

 _Vader? John?_

She grumbled in frustration at her jumbled thoughts about the man she had been falling in love with and knew that they needed to talk. She jumped back a little when she saw that he was partially undressed.

"I'm sorry," she said, blushing as he turned to face her and finished pulling on a new pair of pants, which were too small, but likely the largest he could acquire at the base. "I should have knocked."

"It's fine," he responded, searching for a shirt. She could tell he had recently showered, as the blonde locks that covered half his head were damp and he didn't smell like fish for the first time in over a week.

Padmé didn't realize she had been staring until he smirked at her.

"Enjoying the view, Senator?" he asked.

Her trance broken, she blushed again as he pulled on a generic black T-shirt that had been left in a drawer for him.

"No," she spat.

"Harsh," he said, taking a few steps toward her. "I know the whole hair-on-half-your-chest thing probably isn't quite in style, but unfortunately there's nothing I can do about it."

"No, that's not what I meant…" Padmé stuttered, "I mean, you look fine. Good. You're good."

"That's good," he said. "You look good too."

Padmé watched his blue eyes travel up and down her body, which was adorned in a new maroon dress to replace the decaying scraps of blue fabric she had been living in for weeks.

"Thank you," she responded as professionally as possible, trying to pretend that his comment wasn't incredibly flattering but instead one of courtesy. "I just wanted to stop by to talk."

"Of course you did," he answered, retreating to the plain bed and seating himself at the end. His casual manner was beginning to irk her.

"Right," Padmé said, straightening her shoulders. "I wanted to tell you that I think we should just be friends. For now."

His playful smile faded and he stood, advancing toward her once again, but she held her ground and didn't step back.

"Friends?" he snapped. "Padmé, I abandoned my life and faked my own death for you! I told you who I really am! And you're telling me that you just want to be friends?"

His tone was reminiscent of Vader, but this didn't scare her. In fact, it made her feel a bit more comfortable. She had fallen in love with Vader. Which made this whole conversation a lot more confusing.

"You told me who you really are," Padmé continued, trying to match his intimidation factor and failing miserably, "but you don't even seem to know yourself! And no matter what my feelings are, I can't be with somebody who wants me to call him by a fake name and pretend that everything that happened in the past didn't actually happen!"

He growled and smashed a decorative vase on the table beside them. She jumped, but still didn't move back. He took two more steps forward until their bodies were almost touching, his blue eyes tinged with a bit of gold.

"Who do you want me to be then, Padmé? Huh?" he shouted. "You told me your feelings for me when I was Vader, so maybe I should just go back to being him!"

"No!" Padmé shouted back. "I want you to be Anakin, but I need time to see if I can love that man too. I don't know him past the little boy he was on Tatooine! You don't even know him past that because you haven't given him a chance!"

The bedframe behind them rattled and for a moment Padmé thought it was going to explode from magic angry Force powers, but the man in front of her managed to regain his composure. For once, she was frightened, because she truly didn't know his next move.

"Does it really matter what my name is," he said evenly, "if I do this?"

Before Padmé could comprehend what was happening, his lips crashed against hers and her body slammed into the nearest wall. His metal hand held her there by her braided hair while the flesh one squeezed her hip. There was no romance in the kiss, only violent lust. Yet Padmé found herself reciprocating with equal strength as her lips accepted his and her own hands wrapped around his lower back. Her eyes closed and she saw nothing, heard nothing. So when he finally pulled away, she was severely disoriented and it took her a moment to realize the reason he had done so was an obviously flabbergasted Jedi Master standing in the doorframe.

"I'm sorry," said Obi-Wan. "I should have knocked."

 **Yay! Another chapter! Thanks for leaving reviews and I wish I had time to respond to all of you. I am glad that most of you are enjoying the story, but to address the negatives, I can't please everyone. I wish I could write a story that appealed to every single fan, but unfortunately that's just not possible.**

 **Not sure when the next chapter will be up (might be able to finish it tonight, but not quite sure yet), but expect some action coming up pretty soon. Let's just say that your favorite couple might not be staying on Jakku for very long…**


	20. Anakin

Obi-Wan cleared his throat, unsure of what the proper response to interrupting such an intimate moment should be. But he had to focus on his mission, even if it meant disregarding common courtesy.

"Padmé, if I may, I would like to speak to Mr. Heartkiller alone for a few minutes," he said, ignoring her shocked expression.

"I think that's up to John," she replied, color from the heat of the moment fading from her cheeks.

Obi-Wan turned his gaze to the Admiral, who was absolutely fuming. He didn't deduce that from his face, however. He could feel it through the Force. The man was a time bomb of uncontrolled emotions, ready to explode, quite literally, at any moment if he didn't choose his words very carefully. He reminded him of a small, untrained Force-sensitive child who just got told he would be sent to bed without dessert after supper. Except John was a grown man who was far too upset about being interrupted with a woman. Either this guy was incredibly unstable or he had fought with Padmé beforehand.

"You have impeccable timing, Obi-Wan," said John, "but yes, I will speak to you alone."

Obi-Wan noticed that Padmé and John did not exchange any further looks as Padmé all but ran from the room.

"I would first like to congratulate you," the Jedi Master began.

"On what, exactly?" asked his companion, who was beginning to calm his anger.

"Seducing our beloved Senator friend," Obi-Wan stated. "I'm sure after spending so much time with her, you know as well as I do that her walls are difficult to break."

"My private life with Padmé is none of your business unless she or I choose to share details with you," the Admiral snapped, "so let's just skip to why you're really here."

"To be blunt then," Obi-Wan began, "tell me who you are. You can't fool me, John. You have an incredibly strong Force signature. I could sense it from the other side of the base."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," John replied, his eyes meeting Obi-Wan's with an icy glare that almost made him shudder.

"If that's true," said Obi-Wan, "then I'm sure you won't know what to do if I just…"

The Jedi Master pulled his lightsaber from his belt, intending to ignite it and lunge for the Admiral. He would aim for his metal hand, since it could be reattached. But he never had the chance, as the saber was wrenched from his grasp by invisible Force and flung across the room, landing on the stone floor with a concerning _wham_.

"I was right, then," said Obi-Wan, walking to retrieve his weapon. "You're trained. Not a Jedi though. But not a Sith either."

"Does it matter?" the man sneered as Obi-Wan pocketed his lightsaber, sensing that he would not be attacked in response.

"It does," Obi-Wan answered. "Because if you're not a Jedi, then you're not on our side."

"What if I'm not on any side?" said John. "What if I just don't give a shit?"

"Then I feel that there's no place for you here, seeing that this is a facility filled with people who do, as you so gently put it, 'give a shit' about this galaxy," the Jedi responded.

"What you feel is of no importance to me," John replied. "Only what Padmé feels, and what I feel. And I'm not leaving. I'll not hesitate to fight you if you try to force me out."

"Oh, I don't doubt that," said Obi-Wan, "which is why I have no plans to kick you out. Only an offer."

"I don't wish to bargain with you either," John stated.

"Hear me out," Obi-Wan interrupted. "If we really are on the same side, but you don't want to tell me who you are, that's fine. At least let me help you. I can train you to control your feelings, as whoever you learned from in the past obviously didn't. We'll get along much easier that way."

Obi-Wan expected another snarky response, but was instead met with an intense bout of laughter.

"Care to share your thoughts?" the Jedi asked.

"You have no idea how incredibly ironic your statement is, Master Jedi," said John, "and I have absolutely no intentions of sharing why, nor of accepting your ridiculous offer. I'll make you a counter-offer."

"And what is that?" Obi-Wan asked as John stepped closer to him.

"You leave me the hell alone," the man proposed. "You stay out of my personal business, I stay out of your Rebellion business, and no one gets hurt."

"Is that a threat?" Obi-Wan asked.

"If you want to take it that way," said John. "I'd think of it more as a statement that shouldn't be debated in order to avoid possible negative consequences."

The Admiral pushed past Obi-Wan, heading for the door.

"One more thing," Obi-Wan added.

"And what would that be?" asked John, turning to face him with his hand on the doorknob.

"You might want to clean up that vase," said Obi-Wan. "Vandalism of base property might have others here besides myself questioning your motives, Admiral." 

* * *

He stormed through the halls, ignoring the looks from various rebel residents and maintenance workers. He stopped someone official-looking and said, "I'm looking for Padmé."

"Uh, straight down the hall, fourth door on your right," the man replied before scurrying off, clearly a bit flustered by his monstrous appearance.

He pushed Padmé's door open to find that she had taken her long hair out of its braid. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, equally as plain as his own for such a beautiful woman, on a call with her parents. She looked up at him.

"Hey, Mom, Dad, I have to go," she said, "but I promise you I will visit as soon as possible."

"Please be safe, sweetheart," said Padmé's mother.

"I will, Mom. I love you," her daughter replied before ending the call.

"We never finished our conversation," he said, closing the door.

"What did Obi-Wan want?" Padmé inquired.

"To know who I am," he answered.

"Did you tell him?" she asked.

"No," he replied simply and sat down on the edge of the bed, not caring that he hadn't received an invitation.

"Do you know?" Padmé asked yet again. "Did it give you some clarity?"

This time, he had an answer. He wasn't sure if it was the kiss or his conversation with the Jedi that gave him clarity, or a combination of both, but he finally had it.

"Yes," he said. "I know that I want to be yours. That's all. And I know that you want me to be Anakin, so I suppose that is who I will try to be. I need you to understand, though, that I have spent so many years as Vader that this is going to take some time, and it needs to remain between you and me. And I'm going to need your help."

"Of course," his angel responded with a smile he hadn't seen since their time together on Hoth. "I believe in you, Ani. And I know you're not Vader, because Vader wouldn't ask for help."

Anakin chuckled, moving himself closer to her.

"I think there's something else we didn't finish, too," he said, matching her smile.

This time it was her who pulled him in for the kiss. He was surprised at the amount of force she used to pull him toward her, but he wrapped his arms around her in response more gently this time. He allowed her to lead as she leaned back against the flat base-provided pillow, pulling him down further on top of her. He adjusted his weight so he wouldn't crush her fragile figure and moved his flesh hand up to caress her brown curls as their lips continued their desperate dance, releasing the emotions that had been pent up for weeks, or, in Anakin's case, years, and reluctant to come up for air. When they finally did, Anakin whispered, "I love you, Angel."

A sudden commotion in the corridor caused Padmé to push him off and proceed curiously to the door.

 _Oh, you've got to be kidding._

Anakin sighed and followed her into the hallway where she pulled aside an officer.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"An Imperial ship has been spotted less than a mile from the base, my lady," the officer answered. "It appears to be landing alone, but we're sending the soldiers to their fighters just in case it's a diversion from an oncoming attack."

The Vader piece of Anakin was quite curious as to which of his men had figured out the remote location of the base, and a little bit pissed that this person had been able to find it when Vader himself hadn't. He followed the officer outside, Padmé right on his heels.

They were joined outside the main entrance of the base by Obi-Wan, Mon Mothma, and a hoard of soldiers, weapons aimed at whatever, or whoever, would be crossing the sand dune shortly. Anakin could almost hear the nervous, racing hearts of the rebels.

Soon they spotted a lone man moving toward them, his hands raised in a gesture of surrender.

"Don't shoot," Mon ordered. "Lower your weapons. Red, Harley, escort our guest to the base.

The two soldiers known as Red and Harley sprinted through the sand to meet the Imperial. Anakin watched as they tied his hands behind his back and asked him a couple questions, likely making sure that he wasn't accompanied by any others.

As the soldiers drew closer with their prisoner, Anakin was able to see who he was…and the man was obviously able to discern his own identity, as well.

"Lord Vader?" said the shocked voice of Firmus Piett, as all eyes turned to face Anakin. 

* * *

Obi-Wan acted on reflex. He extracted his lightsaber and ignited it as the rebel crowd stepped back in horror. He swung his blade toward the dark lord formerly known to him as John, and was met with a blade of red. The two sabers hissed as they clashed and Obi-Wan engaged in a dance with the opponent he had been waiting to duel with for years.

"I was right. I knew you couldn't be dead," said the Jedi Master, forgetting everyone else around him and focusing solely on the moment.

"But I am," Vader responded, flipping backward to avoid an undercut from the Jedi. "I don't want to fight you, Obi-Wan."

"Somehow I have a hard time believing that," Obi-Wan replied, twisting his saber sideways to avoid a potentially fatal blow to his stomach from Vader's.

"I don't!" Vader shouted, switching to defensive mode as Obi-Wan advanced toward him. "Look at my eyes. Look at my eyes, Obi-Wan!"

Obi-Wan glanced into the eyes of his Sith opponent as their lightsabers remained locked together, producing a seemingly endless stream of sparks. They were not golden Sithly eyes.

 _How could this be Vader then?_

"Who are you?" Obi-Wan asked, taking a step back with his lightsaber still raised, ready for an attack.

"If you looked hard enough, you would know, Master," said the man before him with the red blade.

Obi-Wan heard screams as the rebels scattered in different directions upon the sudden approach and partial landing of one of their small fighter ships.

"Anakin! Come on!" the pilot, Padmé, yelled, extending one hand to the man outside while keeping the other on the controls.

The man, pocketing his lightsaber before Obi-Wan even had a chance to process what was happening, hopped into the passenger seat with her and slammed the door.

 _She said "Anakin". She called him "Anakin"…_

 _…and he called me "Master"._

"Holy Sith," said Obi-Wan as he watched the fighter speed off into the distance, kicking up a cloud of sand in its wake.


	21. Across the Stars

**Thank you so much for all your wonderful reactions to the last chapter! It truly inspires me as a writer to keep going. This one is a bit of a short transition chapter, but the next one is being uploaded within a half hour. It was originally one chapter, but I decided to split it for the sake of maintaining consistency. Enjoy!**

"Why did you do that?" Anakin shouted, not bothering to strap himself in despite that the small fighter ship was rapidly accelerating into the atmosphere.

"Do what?" the beautiful angel beside him asked. He had to admit that he found it incredibly attractive that she could pilot a vehicle like this so well…

"Save me," he continued. "You are aware you're now a fugitive? You're harboring the galaxy's most wanted. They're probably sending ships after us right now and they will shoot us down."

"If you die, I die," said Padmé, "because I love you, Anakin. I don't care about all the horrible things you've done. I'm willing to risk being considered a traitor if we survive this."

Anakin's racing heart stopped beating for a moment, and in that second, he really was nine-year-old Anakin again seeing the brunette queen for the first time.

 _She loves me. She really loves me._

Disregarding their current predicament, Anakin leaned over to kiss Padmé as they broke free of Jakku. However, he was met with only her cheek and the barking order of, "Not now, Anakin!"

Anakin smirked and leaned back in his seat. "Whatever you say, Captain."

He could tell she was flying aimlessly at the moment, but the most important mission was to just get as far away from Jakku as possible…which was seeming a bit too easy.

"Why is no one following us?" Anakin asked, thinking aloud.

"I don't know," Padmé answered. "I'd say they don't want to risk my life, but I'm pretty sure they'd sacrifice me if it meant getting rid of you. Even though Mon commands the base, Obi-Wan has the final say in matters like this."

 _So the Jedi is letting me go…strange._

"Do you know why your friend was there?" Padmé continued.

"No," Anakin grunted, trying to contain his anger toward Piett. "I don't know why he was there or how he found the base or why he didn't bring anyone with him."

"Well, clearly he didn't know you were there judging by the look on his face," said Padmé. "So we weren't being watched, and he came of his own accord. Maybe the Empire is trying to strike a bargain with us."

"The Rebellion is 'you', Padmé, not 'us'," Anakin pointed out. "I'm not on any side right now nor do I want to be. The most important thing we need to do is hide and we'll figure out the rest from there. Do you have anywhere in mind? With your parents, maybe?"

"No," Padmé responded. "That's the first place they'll look. They've likely contacted them already and told them I'm with you. You being Lord Vader. My parents are very understanding people, but they also believe in the cause of the Rebellion above anything else. They wouldn't hesitate to turn you in immediately even if I tell them who you really are and how I feel about you. They'll think I'm not safe with you."

"Then they'd be right," Anakin said. "Though I will try my hardest to protect you, you'll never truly be safe with me, especially if the Emperor finds out I'm alive."

"He won't find out," Padmé stated, "because we're going somewhere he'll never look."

"And where is that?" Anakin asked.

Padmé slowed the ship down a bit, accepting that they weren't being followed and looked him directly in the eyes.

"I'm apologizing in advance," she said, "because you're really not going to like it." 

* * *

"Every fighter to your ships immediately!" Mon Mothma shouted. "Follow them! Do not hesitate to shoot them down."

"No!" Obi-Wan yelled, causing the soldiers to disregard their original orders and turn the spotlight on him.

"Master Kenobi," said Mon, "this is Darth Vader we're talking about here. The man who murdered all your Jedi colleagues, children included, and countless Rebellion leaders and soldiers. You aren't seriously suggesting that we let him get away?"

"Of course not," Obi-Wan said, still staring at the sky, attempting to process everything that just happened. "But shoot down that ship and you shoot down one of the Rebellion's most valuable leaders, who also happens to be your closest friend. This is a mission for myself."

He turned his eyes to Mon, clearly infuriated at his overriding of her orders.

"Very well," she conceded, turning back to her soldiers. "Make sure Master Kenobi has the best and fastest ship available!"

"Not yet," Obi-Wan interjected, holding his hand up. "I'd like to interview our prisoner first."

Mon opened her mouth to protest, but Obi-Wan silenced her with a glare. He didn't blame her for her hesitancy- if he was in her place, he would probably think he had lost his mind, as well.

"What is your name?" Obi-Wan asked the man who was being held in a painful-looking position by Red and Harley.

"Piett, Sir," the man answered. "Firmus Piett."

Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Piett as in the new second-in-command of the Empire?" Obi-Wan asked.

"That is correct," the Imperial clarified.

"Now, why would the Emperor send his second-in-command directly into the hands of his greatest enemy? How did you locate our base?" Obi-Wan inquired.

 _Something definitely isn't right here. Nothing about this situation is adding up._

"He didn't send me," said Piett, "and I am here to tell you that you are not the Emperor's greatest enemy. As to how I found your location, that is a different conversation."

"And one we need to have," Obi-Wan responded before addressing one of the soldiers in front of him. "Red, please release our guest from his restraints. They will no longer be necessary."

Red, as hesitant as Mon about Obi-Wan's judgment, slowly untied Piett's hands. The Imperial rubbed his wrists, shooting a glance at Harley as if he would grab them and tie them in an even more painful knot at any moment.

"Shall we?" said Obi-Wan gesturing toward the main entrance of the base.

Piett nodded and fell into step beside the Jedi. Thus, Obi-Wan proceeded to a more private location with his sworn enemy for a hopefully enlightening conversation. 

* * *

"Absolutely not!" Anakin shouted. "You get out of that seat right now, Padmé! I'm turning this ship around and we're going somewhere else. Anywhere else. Even Hoth!"

Padmé slapped his arm away. She hated his stubbornness, but his openness made her feel more comfortable with their relationship in the sense that he trusted her with his emotions.

"We have to, Ani," she said. "And besides, wouldn't you like to see her after all these years?"  
"No, I wouldn't!" he yelled back, attempting to take control of the fighter again and causing her to swerve off-course. "She's been dead to me for over a decade, and it's better that way. I don't want her to see who I've become, and I don't want to go back to that wretched ball of sand. We just left a ball of sand and now you're taking me to another one!"

Padmé could almost feel his anguish and considered listening to him, but steered the ship back on-course for Tatooine. It was the only safe place she could think of at the moment, and he'd warm up to the idea eventually.

"She's not a slave anymore," she said.

"What?" responded Anakin.

 _Now I've got his interest._

"A farmer named Cliegg Lars freed her years ago and married her," Padmé explained. "She has a family now that loves her. You have a step-brother named Owen."

"And you neglected to tell me this until now?" said Anakin.

Padmé was unable to tell if his tone was one of sadness, pain, or anger, but chose an answer that would work for any of them.

"Until a few hours ago you weren't Anakin," she pointed out, "and didn't want to hear anything about Anakin's life."

He scowled and slouched in his seat like a small child. The small child that she met so many years ago on the very planet they were headed to right now.  
"Don't tell her," Anakin said.

"What?" Padmé asked.

"Don't tell her I'm Vader," Anakin stated. "She deserves better than that."

"I'm not going to tell her that," Padmé answered, "because you're not Vader. What's your explanation for the scars and the missing limbs?"

"I've got a few more hours to think about that," Anakin replied, crossing his arms.

Padmé, assuming the rest of their journey would be spent in silence, concentrated on the billions of stars they were passing by, thinking about how every night she and Anakin had looked up at the same stars without knowing the other one was still out there, living and breathing. They had gone from being strangers to enemies to lovers in what seemed like a time period faster than light speed. But strangely she was okay with it, and was confident that her decision to run away with him was the right one.

And so they ran, across the stars.


	22. Where Loyalties Lie

_Three days earlier…_

Piett, surrounded by four Imperial guards, the one called "Kurt" being among them, approached the palace, where he was met by Breha Organa and her own guards. The woman, despite her formal and regal presence, was not very skilled at containing her nerves, palms shaking and smile quivering. She should be nervous; the Emperor had sent him to Alderaan to investigate her possible involvement with the Rebel Alliance, considering her husband's former position. But Piett himself had other motives…

"My lady," he said, bowing his head before extending a hand to her. Breha accepted the gesture, her hand remaining steady for the couple seconds they shook.

"Admiral Piett," she said, "Alderaan welcomes you. Though I suppose it is Lord Piett now, from what I've heard? To what do we owe the honor?"

Piett winced at the term "Lord". He wasn't quite ready for that, nor did he ever want to be.

"Admiral will be just fine," he said. "I've been sent by the Emperor to investigate a tip we received about Alderaan's possible involvement in the Rebellion movement, and I ask your permission to speak to some members of your staff."

"Very well," Breha replied after a brief hesitation, "but I assure you, no one employed by myself or my husband would ever betray the Empire."

Piett was caught off-guard by her statement. Hadn't his soldiers dropped Bail off on an Outer Rim planet? How did they find him? How much does he remember?...

"If it pleases you, my lady," said Piett, "I would very much like to speak with your husband."

Breha did not step aside.

"My husband is still recovering from an unfortunate accident," she responded, "but I think you already know that."

Piett stepped forward until he was looking directly down upon her, trying his best to be intimidating.

"That wasn't a request, Mrs. Organa," he stated. "That was an order."

The woman finally stepped aside and instructed one of her guards to lead Piett to Bail's study. Piett instructed his own guards to wait by the entrance, as he was certain that the former Senator posed no threat.

After climbing two flights of stairs and proceeding through a maze of winding corridors, Piett knocked twice on the old wooden door of the study before letting himself in. Bail looked up from a chaotic stack of books, papers, and holograms. It appeared as if he hadn't slept in weeks.

"Hello," said Bail, pushing his reading material aside. "Do I…uh…know you? You look familiar…"

 _He remembers me from the Executor._

"No," Piett answered quickly. "Until now, I have not had the pleasure of making your acquaintance. My name is Franklin Poet. I am a friend of your wife's, but she is a bit busy at the moment, so I was wondering if you might be able to help me with something."

Bail gestured for him to take a seat in front of the desk and he accepted the offer. Piett noticed a particularly thick novel beside him called "The History of Everything That's Ever Happened in the Universe".

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Poet, but I'm not sure how much help I can be," the former Senator replied. "I'm sure Breha has informed you of my condition?"

"She has," Piett replied, "but I only have a couple questions. I am an active member of the Rebellion, as are you and your wife, but I'm afraid I've been away for quite some time on an uncover mission. I returned to the base on Hoth, but it was abandoned. Do you know where it has been moved?"

Bail cleared his throat.

 _His wife probably told him not to say anything…_

"I'm afraid that's classified information, Mr. Poet," he said. "How can I be sure that you are who you say you are?"

Piett wracked his brain for the most recent Rebel communicator code that his men had intercepted.

"BDH1459A," he replied.

Bail leaned forward. The numbers clearly meant something to him.

 _This is going to be too easy._

"Very well, then," said Bail. "The new base, from what I've heard my wife discuss, is located on the planet of Jakku in the Western Reaches. Have you heard of it?"

"I have," Piett replied, attempting to hide his smug grin. "Thank you, Mr. Organa. You have been most helpful, and I'm sure your wife will be grateful for saving her from an unnecessary interruption."

"I wish you safe travels, Franklin," Bail added as Piett promptly exited the office and closed the door. 

* * *

Obi-Wan grabbed his communicator from his pocket and immediately contacted the Rebel communications leader, a young, vibrant man named Felecius, across the base.

"Hello, Master," the voice of Felecius answered. "What is it that I can do for you?"

"Felecius, I need you to send a direct, highly protected transmission to Breha Organa on Alderaan," the Jedi ordered. "Tell her that there has been a breach due to an accidental information leak by her husband. Make sure she increases palace security immediately."

"I'm on it," the boy replied. "Felecius out."

Obi-Wan turned his attention back to the Imperial officer who sat across from him at the rusty metal table in the interrogation room.

"Mon Mothma and our soldiers will insist on your imprisonment and trial for your actions if this gets out," he stated. "Though I don't appreciate you taking advantage of my colleague, I will keep quiet if your honesty continues. Why are you here?"

Piett leaned forward and folded his elbows on the table.

"Though I do believe in the Empire as a political system and its usefulness to the galaxy," Piett began, "I do not approve of its leadership. My loyalties are not, nor have they ever been, to the Emperor. I serve Lord Vader, and despite his lack of involvement recently, I have taken it upon myself to complete his mission."

"And what would that be?" Obi-Wan asked.

"To remove Sidious from power," Piett explained. "He told me when I helped him fake his death that he wished revenge upon the Emperor, for what I'm not sure, but I figured I would do whatever I can to help carry this out. Hence why I am here today. You and I may hold different political perspectives, but in the end, we are on the same side due to a mutual enemy. And, as I see now, a mutual friend."

"Vader is not a friend," said Obi-Wan, though he found himself uncertain as to the truth behind this statement. "We were unaware of his identity until you arrived. How long have you known what he looks like?"

"Also since I helped him fake his death," Piett replied.

"I see," Obi-Wan continued. "And do you know who he really is? His real name, perhaps? Or his reasoning for abandoning the Empire?"

"His name, no," Piett answered. "He will always be Vader to me even if I do ever learn it. As for his motive, I can only assume it's the girl. They grew very close on the _Executor_. He visited her every day and never harmed her. He had me lie about her being alive to the Emperor to protect her."

 _Interesting. Very interesting…_

"I thank you for your honesty and bravery," said Obi-Wan. "I will have to think over your proposal of an alliance and present it to the others. I assume no one else involved with the Empire knows about this?"

"That is correct," Piett responded, "but the troopers follow me, now, as would Commander Veers if I were to contact him. His loyalties also lie with Vader, though he currently believes him to be dead. As soon as you have made a decision, I will contact one of my troopers. He goes by "Kurt" and was the guard outside Senator Padmé's cell."

Obi-Wan rose, satisfied with the conversation, and motioned for the Imperial to follow him. Of all the situations he expected to find himself in today, this was certainly not one of them.

"I assume you'll also understand that your quarters for the time being will need to be a cell, just as a precaution?" said the Jedi.

"Understood," the officer replied, following Obi-Wan past Rebel onlookers to the small area known as the base's jail. Obi-Wan requested that Red and Harley stand guard before retiring to his quarters for a brief meditation. He would need to confront Mon Mothma soon, as well as ensure the prisoner's safety, but first he needed time to process and accept the overload of information he had received in the past few hours.

 _Vader. Anakin. John. Piett. Veers. Kurt. Padmé._

Vader. Anakin.

 **Alright, so the bad news is that I'm most likely about to disappear again since the new semester is about to begin. The good news is that I know the direction this story is heading even if I don't know when I'll be able to get some new chapters up. Thanks again to all my followers, old and new, and please continue to leave reviews because I do read all of them! -Lyanna**


	23. The Fugitives

"No, Padmé," Anakin snapped as they entered the dusty atmosphere of Tatooine.

The closer they got to the planet, the crankier he grew, and now he was on the verge of entering into a Vader-like fit of frustration. He struggled to contain the deluge of thoughts and emotions that overwhelmed him in this moment.

"We need to refuel, Ani," the brunette beside him countered, angling the ship down toward the surface of the planet.

"Padmé, you need to trust me on this one," Anakin responded. "We don't blend in. Your dress screams 'I have money, come steal it!' and this ridiculous Rebel uniform I've got on is sure to land both of us in prison if anyone from the Empire is roaming about. We cannot stop in Mos Eisley or Mos Espa or any other populated port."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Padmé snapped, her own frustrations clearly intensifying.

"Land nearby the farm, assuming you know where it is," Anakin instructed. "I'll go into town after I acquire new clothing and something to cover my face and bring the fuel to us."

Padmé smirked in response, a reaction that elicited only further annoyance from the former Sith Lord.

"What could you possibly be smiling about right now, Senator?" he growled.

"It's just…the irony," she replied. "You're worried about ending up a prisoner of the Empire, yet you used to be the one making arrests and interrogations."

Anakin scowled, internally cursing her for bringing up his Sithly ways and adding to his frustrations.

"I've been a prisoner of the Empire my whole life, Padmé," he answered. "I didn't choose that life, as I have chosen this one. I did what I had to do to survive and became locked in a prison of my own making. I willed away the thoughts of Anakin, of his mother…of you. I accepted my role of apprentice to the Emperor when I should have kept fighting against it. My Master never treated me as his equal. He knew I was stronger, so he tried his hardest to weaken me and keep me his prisoner. But now I have broken free and I'm not going back."

Padmé said nothing in response, but swerved the ship away from the port and toward the open sand. Somewhere out there, his mother was still alive. And Anakin was about to be reunited with the final remaining piece of his old life.

* * *

Obi-Wan bid the Naberrie family farewell as he headed back to his ship. Though he had to inform them that their daughter was missing in order to explain his visit, he spared them the small detail that she was currently sheltering Darth Vader.

 _Anakin_.

A part of Obi-Wan knew that Padmé was not stupid enough to come to her home planet, yet it was the only place he could think of to begin his search. Her parents frantically tried to contact her communicator, but after being answered by Mon Mothma, it was clear that she had left it behind on Jakku.

Obi-Wan reached out to the Force one final time in attempt to sense any Force-sensitive beings in the area, but his efforts were in vain. He boarded his ship and made his way to the cockpit, pausing to glance around the small room where Padmé and Vader had sat on their journey to Jakku not long ago. He shook his head, disappointed in himself for not realizing that Vader was within his reach and letting him go so easily.

 _Anakin_.

Obi-Wan settled into the pilot's seat and pulled out his communicator to contact Master Yoda. The hologram of the little man appeared before him.

"Master Yoda," he began, "I am afraid that I bring you grave news."

"Unsuccessful, your search has been, Master Kenobi?" Yoda replied.

"On the contrary, it was quite successful," Obi-Wan responded. "The disturbance we felt was none other than Darth Vader himself, who is alive and well. It appears that he has somehow abandoned some of his dark ways, though he has not embraced the light. He is intentionally pretending to be dead and shielding his presence from the Emperor in hopes of catching him off guard and striking him down. I fear that our galaxy may soon be in his clutches if he is successful."

"Know this, how do you?" Yoda asked. "Captured him, have you?"

"Not exactly," Obi-Wan replied. "He came to us willingly with Padmé Amidala, who had been his prisoner for some time. He abandoned his robes and gave us a false name. Unfortunately, we did not find out his true identity until it was too late and he is at large once again. We currently have Firmus Piett, former Admiral and current second-in-command in our custody at the Rebel Base, but we cannot hold him for much longer without the Empire taking notice. He has come to bargain with us and offer assistance in our mission. It seems that even the highest ranking officials in the Empire have no love for their Emperor."

"Sure you are, that you can trust this man?" said Yoda. "Seek power for himself, he does not?"

"Of course we cannot be sure," Obi-Wan answered, "but it may be a risk we have to take. Though, there is one more thing, Master…"

"Troubled you are, my friend," Yoda stated. "Sense it, I do."

"Yes," Obi-Wan confirmed with a deep breath. "I think that Lord Vader is really Anakin Skywalker, my missing apprentice from over a decade ago."

"Remember the boy, I do," said Yoda. "The chosen one, we believed he was. To the Dark Side, he has turned?"

"It appears that way," Obi-Wan replied, "but as much sense as it makes the more I put the puzzle pieces together, the more I refuse to believe that it is true. Palpatine must have been fooling us all for years, raising him as a Sith. He knows no other way. I just…can't fathom that I failed so miserably. Not only did I allow him to be snatched just feet away from me, but I failed to find him. And he turned into a monster who slaughtered the Order."

"Your fault, this is not, Obi-Wan," said Yoda. "The fault of Sidious, this is. But kill you and the rebels, he did not. Perhaps hope for redemption, there is."

"I fear that it may be too late for that, Master," Obi-Wan responded. "But I will continue my search for him. Though I am still unsure of what to do if and when I find him."

"Meditate on this, you must," Yoda instructed. "Guide you, the Force will."

"Thank you, Master," Obi-Wan replied. "May the Force be with you."

"And with you, Master Kenobi," the little man responded as his hologram slowly faded.

* * *

Anakin trudged through the sand with Padmé by his side, making their way toward the hut several hundred yards ahead. A sandstorm was coming- he could sense it.

 _I really kriffing hate sand._

As they grew closer, Anakin noticed a figure emerge from the hut to greet them. A man of average height, by the looks of it, wearing a tan robe.

"Who is that?" he asked Padmé.

"That is your stepbrother, Owen," Padmé responded.

Anakin still wasn't sure how he felt about having a brother. It was enough having to face his mother again after all these years, nevertheless a whole family he'd never met before.

The man appeared tense, hesistant of the approaching strangers, until they were only several feet away, at which point he exclaimed, "Oh, Padmé, it's you!"

"Owen," she replied with her usual grace, "it's been far too long!"  
Padmé embraced the stranger that was his brother and Anakin felt a twinge of jealousy.

"I did not recognize your ship," Owen continued. "And who is your…companion?"

Anakin noticed Owen eying his scars, though the man tried to hide it. He suddenly wished he had time to cover them. What was his mother going to think?

"This is…a really long story," Padmé answered, "which would be better explained inside. It has been a long journey."

"Of course!" Owen responded. "Follow me. Beru will be so pleased to see you."

Anakin stepped carefully behind Owen and Padmé, the distance between himself and the door rapidly shrinking.

 _My mother is in there._

He ducked to make it through the small entrance, clearly not designed for someone of his massive height.

"Owen, who is it?" a female voice called.

"It's Padmé, sweetheart!" he exclaimed as they rounded the corner into an oddly spacious, kitchen-like area.

"Padmé!" the woman shouted with delight, dropping a potted plant she was holding as she ran to embrace her.

"Beru, how lovely to see you again!" said Padmé, who took hold of the woman's hand as she pulled away. "Wow, it seems congratulations are in order, as well!"

She looked back at Owen, who responded, "Yes, indeed! We tied the knot several weeks ago."

 _This is my sister-in-law._

As Beru turned her gaze toward Anakin and gave him the same look as her husband, he had to resist the urge to exit the home as quickly as possible, return to the ship, and fly off to somewhere even more remote.

Suddenly, a very familiar droid appeared, carrying two cups of blue milk.

"Mistress Beru, I have brought some refreshments for you and Master Owen," C3PO announced, his mechanical parts in desperate need of oiling. "Well, my word- I should have brought more! Master, is that you? Why, it's been so long, I thought you'd forgotten me!"

 _Shit_.

Owen and Beru glanced back at Anakin, their expressions morphing from confusion to shock. Anakin ignored them, stepping forward to greet his childhood creation.

"Hello, 3PO," he said. "Perhaps I can scrounge up some metal to make you that outer covering I promised so long ago."

"Why, that would be wonderful!" the droid replied. "And Mistress Padmé, a pleasure, as always."

"So you're…uh…Shmi's son?" Owen asked, awaiting confirmation of the obvious.

"Is my mother here?" Anakin asked, ignoring the question. He was growing impatient.

"Yes," Beru said. "She should be downstairs tidying up some things. I'll go fetch her."

Anakin tensed as his sister-in-law left the room.

"Don't be nervous," said Padmé. He felt her soft hand close tightly around his own in a gesture of reassurance.

"I don't get nervous," Anakin replied in a final effort to defend his courage.

A long, uncomfortable pause ensued, which was finally broken by Owen.

"You two can, uh…have our milk," he said, taking the drinks from 3PO. "3PO, please bring us more drinks."

"I shall return with your request, Master," the droid responded as he clattered from the room.

Anakin felt her approaching before she appeared- a presence he hadn't felt in so many years, and had assumed he would never feel again.

As his mother entered the room and stopped in her tracks, he said nothing. He did not move and, for just a moment, did not breathe. It was as if he could feel some of the darkness within him sliding away, floating out the windows and mixing with the sands.

"Ani," said Shmi, "is that you?"

 **Hello everyone! I am back and hope to be posting updates periodically over the course of the next month or so. I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays and please continue to follow, favorite, and leave reviews!**


	24. Fighting the Darkness

"Ani, is that you?"

Anakin stared silently at his mother, still as beautiful and as humble as he remembered her from so many years ago. She was truly an angel, just like Padmé. She was clad in the simple clothes of a moisture farmer's wife- nothing you would find in an Imperial city. This should be the happiest moment of his life.

 _But is it me? Am I Ani?_

He was jerked from his trance and a deluge of anger from within rose to the surface.

"Go on, ask," he snapped.

Shmi's eyebrows quivered slightly, but she remained calm in spite of his fit. Padmé attempted to squeeze his flesh hand, but he yanked it away.

"Ani," Padmé cautioned. He ignored her.

"Ask!" he shouted. "Ask me why I look like this! Ask me where I've been! Ask me about the 'better life' you hoped I would have, and ask me where I got these scars!"

He stepped closer to his mother, yet she did not back away.

"Ask me why there's hair on only half of my head! Ask me why I'm missing an arm and a leg! Do it!"

He was glaring down on her now, looking into pleading blue eyes. He had seen those eyes in so many of his victims shortly before he began an aggressive interrogation or snapped their necks, but this time it was different. These were his own eyes staring back up at him.

Anakin was finally forced to confront himself, to answer her question. But even as he gazed directly into what could have been, and what could still be, he couldn't do it.

"Oh, mother!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around her tiny body, holding back tears that threatened to wash over her combed brunette locks.

 _I want to be Ani_.

* * *

Padmé glanced around the silent dinner table. Anakin's introduction to Cliegg had been far less emotional, in fact, emotionless. It was impossible to tell what Anakin thought of his new stepfather.

"You haven't asked yet," said Anakin, addressing no one in particular.

Padmé sighed. "They're not asking because they don't care, Anakin! This is your family and they're not judging you for how you look! They're just happy that you're alive. Why can't you see that?"

"She's right, ya know," Cliegg added. "I'm short a limb myself, if ya haven't noticed. Shmi's never thought me any less of a person for it."

Anakin grunted and went back to eating his meat, practically inhaling it whole before standing and quietly excusing himself.

Padmé glanced at Shmi, heartbroken by her son's reaction to finally being home. Part of her wanted to share Anakin's story so that his mother would know his burden and understand the inner conflict he was going through, but the other part silenced her, knowing that it was Anakin's story to tell.

"I'm sorry," she said, rising. "The meal was lovely, Beru. Thank you."

Beru smiled in acknowledgment as Padmé followed Anakin's clanking footsteps from the dining area and down a dark, musty flight of stairs.

"Do you even know where you're going?" she called out, hoping to slow him down.

"Leave me alone, Padmé," he shouted back. "I need to build something. Or destroy something and rebuild it."

Padmé rolled her eyes and followed the voice into a small cavern that served as a storage facility for the Lars' farming equipment.

"This will do," Anakin said to himself, using the Force to shatter a number of tools on a wooden table used to fix malfunctioning vaporators.

"And if a vaporator should break while its replacement parts are being rebuilt?" said Padmé.

"Then I'll build faster," he responded, picking up a few pieces. "I find your lack of faith disturbing."

"Anakin, look at me," Padmé commanded, embracing her Senator voice, as her patience was growing thin.

Yet she almost trembled as the man before her dropped the pieces of metal in his hands and clenched his fists. She was beginning to doubt whether he could ever truly be Anakin.

But as he slowly turned to face her and she noticed no streaks of gold in his eyes, she relaxed and simply asked, "What's wrong?"

"You shouldn't love me, Padmé," he replied. "I'm a monster. Calling me by a different name does not erase the things I've done these past few years. It does not wipe the blood of those I have slain, many of which were friends of yours, off my hands, or cleanse my soul of the pain of failure I have carried with me every day. My mother deserves a better son than me."

"Don't say that," Padmé answered, stepping closer to him. "Your mother loves you. She took you into her home and welcomed you with open arms and a warm heart, and I know she'd do the same thing over again even if she knew the things you'd done. The bond between a mother and her son is not easily broken."

"If she knew and still took me in," Anakin countered, "it would be out of pity and an overabundance of kindness, not love. Poor Lord Vader, just a lost soul hoping for redemption from his crimes and a roof to sleep under while he figures out his life."

"In case you've forgotten," Padmé continued, fighting to retain her professional expression, "I fell in love with Lord Vader. Regardless of your name, you are capable of being loved and you need to accept that."

Anakin took a deep breath. "I need time, Padmé. And some kriffing pants that actually fit."

Padmé bit her lip, fighting the urge to smile. "I'll go see what I can find."

"Wait," Anakin said, grabbing hold of her arm. She winced upon feeling the squeeze of his metal hand and he relaxed his grip. "Don't go- your presence is soothing."

"You don't seem particularly soothed," Padmé replied.

"Look, Padmé, I don't need pants right now!" Anakin responded, letting go of her arm. He started fumbling with his belt.

"What are you doing?" said Padmé, her mortification evident as he stripped down to his underclothes.

"Showing you," Anakin answered, "that I don't need pants. Look, Padmé! I don't need pants! Look at my right leg. It's metal. I am a machine and machines don't need pants!"

"Ani, you need help!" Padmé exclaimed, suddenly feeling very uneasy. "You're acting like, like…"

"Like what?" he interrupted, moving toward her as she stepped away, losing some of her bravery. The wooden table behind him rattled by an unseen Force. "A dark, violent mechanical beast?"

"Like a hormonal teenager!" Padmé finally screamed, no longer caring if she offended him. "Maybe I should have left you at the base and let Obi-Wan teach you how to control yourself. Look, I get it. You're going through an identity crisis. You were stripped of the life you once had and forced into a role that you have adapted to, but you have your life back now. It's up to you whether or not you want to reclaim it. Stop fighting it, Ani. Let go of the darkness."

A tear rolled down Padmé's flushed cheek as she maintained her ground, trying in vain to read the expressionless man before her. The stretch of silence felt equivalent to spending years watching a pile of sand accumulate outside. She closed her eyes as he closed the distance between them, prepared to face whatever pain he was about to inflict upon her for her outspokenness.

But the pain didn't come, only a soft kiss on her lips and a warm whisper in her ear that breathed, "I'm sorry."

The words sent a tingling sensation down her spine that spread throughout her body. It was like the moment she had fixed the electricity when they were stranded on Hoth. It didn't solve everything, but it made her heart beat a little faster, and the room a little warmer, and offered a tiny glimmer of hope.

Padmé reached up and grabbed the locks of hair flowing beside the left side of his face and pulled him down to her. He didn't resist as she initiated another kiss, instead matching her enthusiasm. She knew that she should stop things here- Anakin needed space. And she needed sleep.

Padmé reached her hands under his shirt, running them along his chest, making sure to give equal attention to both sides. She knew now that he truly saw himself as half a man- the half being the smooth muscles covered in wispy locks of hair. The other half, hairless and scarred, he believed made him a monster. She aimed to break this self-consciousness and traced her hand over his wampa cut. He had removed the bandage, and it seemed like so long ago that she had put it on in the first place.

"That seems to have healed well," Padmé said when she finally had an opportunity to come up for air.

"What can I say?" Anakin responded, mischief blooming in his adoring eyes. "I had a pretty good nurse. Though she did cross the line a bit."

"Is she crossing the line now?" Padmé whispered.

"Definitely," Anakin replied before she felt his lips crash into hers once more. She gasped as she felt them move down to her neck, placing soft kisses on her veins.

Padmé's thoughts grew fuzzy as she focused only on the sensations in that moment. One of his hands, the metal one, was agilely untying the strings and ribbons on the back of her gown, while the flesh hand gently traced her collarbone, as if it was awaiting permission to make its way just a few inches lower on her body.

She gently moaned her answer to him, but didn't realize until she could no longer feel the hand at all that the words "Yes, Vader" had just left her lips.

"Well then," said Anakin, "looks like I'm not the only one who's a bit confused about what I want."

 **Surprise! I told you there would be frequent updates. Thanks to all the new followers and everyone who has been leaving reviews. I really appreciate your feedback and encouragement!**

 **To address a few specifics, thank you to the reviewer who mentioned they are glad to have found this story after reading some of the all-time great Vadmé fics on this site. Those stories have been a huge inspiration to me in my writing. Since I have been away from this site for a while, if there are any new (new = published in the past few months) Vader/Padmé fics you guys think that I would enjoy, please feel free to send me links!**

 **Secondly, as you may have noticed in this chapter, Cliegg is wheelchair-bound in this story even though the events that led to this in the movies did not occur. He will have a different backstory, don't worry.**

 **And lastly, this fic is rated T, not M, so this is as detailed as the romance scenes will get. If you are looking for something more graphic, you're in the wrong place.**

 **Hope you are all enjoying your Christmas! -Lyanna**


	25. Dark Desires

Red grunted as he unwillingly released the prisoner from his handcuffs. Piett rubbed his wrists, his desire to embrace freedom again written on his face. Though Obi-Wan knew that for as long as the Emperor reigned, Piett nor any of his fellow commanders or troops would ever truly be free.

"I do hope we are not making the worst mistake of our lives by letting you go, Firmus," Obi-Wan stated. "Should any imperial troopers be spotted anywhere near this base, our deal is off and we will not hesitate to launch a counterattack."

"I understand your concern, Master Jedi," Piett answered, "but I can assure you that the location of your base will remain with myself and myself only. I will convey the plan to Veers and a couple other officials I can trust, and if I hear any news of Vader, I will contact you right away."

"Thank you," Mon Mothma replied, stepping forward beside Obi-Wan. "I never thought I'd see the day where the Empire and the Rebellion would be working together for a common cause."

"Well, ma'am, I never thought I'd see Darth Vader with his suit off and madly in love with a woman," Piett responded jokingly, "but times are changing."

Obi-Wan cringed at the thought of Anakin and Padmé together. Despite the assurance he received from Piett that he is indeed a changed man, and his own observations of the two together while they were at the base, he still feared for Padmé's safety.

"Your ship has been refueled and is waiting for you over the dune," said Obi-Wan. "Safe travels."

"Good luck with your search," Piett replied with a nod. "If you find him, let me know. I would like to speak with him."

Piett turned and trudged through the sand, and Obi-Wan watched his figure fade away into the distance followed by a cloud of sand formed by a ship zooming into the atmosphere.

 _I really hope this wasn't an elaborate trap…_

"You should try Hoth," Mon stated, breaking Obi-Wan's trance.

"What?" he asked.

"If what Piett says is true about Vader's relationship with Padmé, then their former hideout might be a likely place for them to have gone," Mon clarified.

"Too obvious," Obi-Wan responded, scratching his chin scruff. "But then again, the answer may be obvious and we are just missing it. I shall return to Hoth and contact you if I find anything. Please do the same if I am needed back at the base."

Obi-Wan headed once more in the direction of his old speeder, a companion he'd had since the days Anakin was just a small child complaining about the rust. The thought made him smile, but the grin faded when he remembered what had become of his former apprentice.

As he took off, Obi-Wan thought to stop on Corellia, the homeland of Anakin's Heartkiller persona. Perhaps if he did not find the man himself, he would at least find something useful there. There had to be a reason he picked that particular planet.

Yet still nothing felt quite right. It was as if he was missing something right in front of him. The frustration was eating at him to the extent where he decided to put the ship on autopilot, program R4 to notify him if there were any issues, and meditate on his thoughts.

 _Where did you go, Anakin?_

* * *

Padmé found herself unable to stay asleep despite that the only sleep she had gotten in the past several days was intermittent naps. Troubled dreams continued to wake her. She knew what the problem was, and she hated herself for it.

She flipped to her other side, trying to make herself as comfortable as possible on the lumpy guest mattress. The heat was driving her to the brink of insanity. At least on Jakku, they had a cooling system.

But it wasn't the heat that prevented her from a healthy night of sleep. It was the missing body beside her that she'd grown to find comforting. She never had nightmares with Anakin's arms wrapped around her.

 _But I called him "Vader"._

Padmé cursed herself again for her terrible mistake. It wasn't because she still saw him as Vader. It was just the heat of the moment. With the exception of a few kisses they had shared on the base at Jakku, she had yet to connect with him as Anakin. She fell in love with him when he was Vader. All her sexual tension was directed toward the man she had known for months as opposed to the one she had known less than a week. Though they were the same person physically, Vader and Anakin were completely separate people mentally.

Breaking down Vader's walls had given Padmé a strange sense of satisfaction. It was as if she had some power back. After years as Queen followed by time in the Senate, being forced into exile was her worst nightmare. She participated in the Rebellion, but never took a leading role. Vader, well…he made her feel important again. Presented her with a challenge. Anakin was a little boy she had met once on the planet on which they currently resided, and nothing more.

But Padmé wanted him to be more. She wanted to love Anakin, she truly did. Yet Vader revealing his true identity was when their relationship began to break down. She knew Vader. Knew where his scars came from and what the bed he slept in for years looked like. She didn't know anything about Anakin. Anakin didn't even know anything about Anakin.

Padmé screamed into her thin pillow, holding back the tears that threatened to envelope her.

 _How could I have been so stupid?_

Padmé had spent the last several days trying to convince Vader that he should be Anakin. That he should change his ways and use the Force for good. And all the progress she made immediately dissipated just by speaking the name of the man he'd been for the past decade. No wonder he was confused about what she wanted…

And now he was gone. Where, Padmé could not begin to guess. She had checked the ship before she went to bed, along with every room in the Lars household. The family hadn't bothered them again after dinner, understanding that the two had a lot to talk about and process. She dearly hoped he had just gone to town for some fuel and a drink or two at one of the disgusting Tatooine cantinas she was forced to stop in a couple times with Obi-Wan years earlier.

Perhaps they had just jumped into things too quickly. Anakin would need time to find himself. She should be encouraging him to do so. Maybe her relationship with him was too much of a reminder of the person he used to be.

 _The person I loved._

Padmé tried to soothe herself back to sleep by muttering that it was a good thing for him to change. Vader was a monster who slaughtered innocent people, many of which were acquaintances of hers. Instead of comforting her, though, this thought made everything worse. She suddenly grew very nauseous.

 _Please fall asleep. Just fall asleep._

She wanted him to come back so she could explain herself. But she didn't know how to properly explain the jumbled thoughts without making it sound like she wanted Vader the killing machine to return. No, Shmi would be heartbroken to find out what her son had become. She couldn't do that to such a sweet woman.

Finally, Padmé felt her eyelids sinking, but knew that not even sleep would keep her thoughts away.

* * *

Rage. Anger. Hatred.

It filled him until his entire body felt invincible. The scars didn't matter- they were merely reminders of the torture he had endured to get to this point.

Vader's eyes glowed a Sithly yellow as he slashed through the sand people. One by one they fell, and he felt himself grow stronger and more powerful with every blow. The red streak of his lightsaber was incredibly satisfying- a feeling he had missed dearly.

He cut down a mother and her child next. Filthy creatures who deserved to be eradicated. Besides, he had done much worse damage at the Jedi Temple.

Vader grabbed hold of his flesh leg below the pants that were too short, where a momentary lapse in focus had allowed one of the creatures to strike him. He retaliated quickly with a single blow to its chest. A man, this time, it appeared.

He ignored the blood dripping down and continued the battle until every sand person lay dead and the night stars illuminated their lifeless bodies.

 _If this is what you want, Padmé, then I'm all yours._

Vader pocketed his lightsaber, turning to head back to the farm on a borrowed bike.

 _Sith do not know love. Love makes us weak._

But that was okay, he told himself as he started the bike and pushed it to full speed. Padmé didn't love him. If she truly loved him, she would love every part of him, whether he was Vader or Heartkiller or Anakin. And no one could possibly love Vader. He had determined that it was lust that she felt. She wanted his body, and the mystery that was Lord Vader. It intrigued her, filled her with desire. And he wanted her too. Badly.

They would finish what they started. And he would do so as Vader this time. There would be no holding back.

He grinned as the hut grew closer and closer. Yes, he was in for a very good night.

* * *

Padmé awoke once again, sweating and gasping for air. She had another nightmare, this time of Anakin killing innocent people in the streets. His final victim had been herself.

She heard footsteps coming closer to the room, one of which echoed metal.

 _It's him._

There was nowhere to hide in the tiny room, and no time. The knob was turning.

The flimsy wooden door burst inward and the massive body of her lover stepped through, though she was unable to make out his face in the darkness.

"Ani, I'm so…" Padmé began to say, but was cut off by lips pressing onto hers. The kiss was rough. There was no love here.

"Don't call me that," he growled after pulling away for a moment, then resumed his work by biting her neck. She gasped.

"Ow! We need to talk about this!" Padmé shouted.

Soon he was pinning her down, but she didn't struggle. She wanted this just as much as he did. Perhaps it would give both of them some clarity.

 _Or make everything one hundred times worse._

He ripped off the night shirt she had borrowed from Beru, quite literally, with one tug, and she felt uncomfortably exposed despite the darkness of the room.

 _Two can play at this game._

Padmé reached up to remove his shirt and struggled with the buttons. His hair smelled strange, almost like something burning.

"Say my name, Padmé," he commanded, placing furious kisses along her collarbone, teasing her to an extent that made her moan in frustration.

"Say it!" he shouted. "Say the name of the man you want right now and he'll have you."

"Vader!" she screamed back. "Vader, please!"

As soon as the name came out, his mouth abandoned her collarbone and moved lower on her body. She closed her eyes, the mental torment blending with the intense physical pleasure to create a new wave of confusion. All the progress she had made at helping him become a better person…gone. Gone because she selfishly craved this. She had brought a monster, a murderer, into the home of an innocent family, and knew that despite whatever they were feeling in this moment, it would not last come morning.

 _What have I done?_

* * *

Sidious's yellow eyes snapped open after a session of meditation, during which he had embraced the satisfaction of the Dark Side as he pictured his enemies being tortured by the lightning from his fingertips. If only it were real right now…

But finding a rebel to play with was not his concern. He had felt a massive disturbance in the Force. A dark disturbance. And he knew just what it was. His yellow teeth formed into the shape of a grin.

"You!" Sidious shouted, pointing at one of his Imperial guards, clad in their designated red uniforms. "Get me that idiot Piett! I want his frail, shaking hologram in front of me through a communicator immediately. You have two minutes."

 _Vader is alive. And I will find him…_

* * *

 **Hey guys…sorry for saying I'd post frequent updates and then totally not updating. But I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations and I hope to continue this story shortly. Thanks again for your reviews and continued support. Let's see if we can get this story to 300 followers! Happy reading! -Lyanna**


	26. It's A Trap

Vader slowly blinked his eyes open, taking in his surroundings. To his dismay, it had not been a dream. He was, indeed, still on a homemade mattress in a tiny hut surrounded by endless seas of sand.

He swung his legs, which had been dangling off the end all night anyway, to the floor, feeling the cool ground beneath his feet. The rest of his naked body was drenched in sweat, still unadjusted to the lack of air conditioning.

As Vader searched the room for his garments, sifting through the pile of women's underclothes and a wrinkled azure nightdress, he heard a soft groan behind him and turned back to the bed.

"Good morning," Padmé whispered, still in the process of opening her eyes. Even with her brown curls frizzy and tangled, she was still as beautiful as an angel.

Overwhelmed by her beauty, he did not return the greeting, which she clearly interpreted as him being aggravated and inquired as to what was wrong.

Pulling on his borrowed pants, Vader scowled, the memories from the night before and the words they had exchanged rushing back.

"I don't want to talk," he stated simply.

"But we need to," Padmé insisted, pushing herself onto her elbows and reaching for a thin blanket to cover herself up. "I thought about everything, and I've reached a conclusion. I think the reason I have trouble calling you 'Anakin' sometimes is because I'm still associating the name with a little boy, and, well…you know, it's kind of creepy. But I really do want you to be Anakin and show me that he's more than that, and someone that I can fall in love with physically, as I have mentally."

"You don't get it, do you, Padmé?" Vader snapped, his anger boiling. He had to end this conversation quickly before he did anything he would regret. "Vader is not some fantasy roleplay character! He's a real person! He's me and that's not going to change!"

Vader forced himself to look away because, despite his anger, he still wanted her. He pulled on the rest of his clothing and strapped his lightsaber to his belt, heading for the door, but paused.

"I think we need to take a break," he mumbled.

"What?" Padmé asked, her footsteps growing closer behind him.

"We need to take a break from this, Padmé," he said again, turning to face her. Unable to meet her eyes, he focused instead on the blanket she held to her body as she stood in front of him, but maintained a reasonable distance. "I have something to finish, and after it's done, we can figure this out."

"There's nothing to figure out, though," she responded, dropping the blanket and stepping closer to him. "You love me, right?"

"Don't do this, Padmé," Vader replied, gritting his teeth. "I have to go."

"To the Emperor?" she asked, assuming her Senator voice. "You know you can't face him alone. If you have to do this, at least let me contact the Alliance to help. Maybe I can talk some sense into them…help them see that you're a good person."

"No, Padmé!" Vader shouted. "I'm not a good person, and I can't sit around waiting for help from my enemies. I need to do this alone!"

"What if you don't come back?" she whispered, showing no fear at his outburst.

She was now standing directly below him, forcing him to look into her orbs and the pain they illuminated. Vader knew that her comment was in reference to the possibility that Sidious could defeat him in body. But he recognized another possibility- that he could be defeated in spirit. Sidious's offers and methods of torture had always been persuasive for him. If the dark lord still had use for him, he could easily reassume his former position in the galaxy, especially if the troops still supported him.

 _No. I won't let that happen again. Lord Vader is stronger than a slave._

With a final glance at the woman who had tamed the demon, he turned his back and marched up the stairs to the kitchen, where Anakin's family was setting breakfast on the table. He headed directly for his mother and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I have to go, Mom," he said, "There's something I have to take care of. But I'll come back for you, this time, I promise, and I'll give you a better life."

Shmi placed one hand on her son's cheek and he closed his eyes at her touch. "My life is here, with my family," she responded, "and you will always be a part of that."

Vader nodded, fighting the light emotions that threatened to overtake him. He exited the hut with a clear mind and a mission to accomplish.

* * *

Obi-Wan strode back to his ship disappointed, having discovered nothing useful on Corellia. There were no records of anyone named Heartkiller or Skywalker, and no visits from Lord Vader within the past couple years.

Suddenly, his communicator buzzed, signaling an audio call. He answered to the sound of static. Who could possibly be contacting him from such a distance?

"Kenobi," he said, trying to focus on the faint voice through the distortion.

"Ben! It's Ebony!" the voice replied.

 _Padmé's code name from the mission before her capture._ "Ebony!" he shouted in response, quickening his pace to his ship. "Thank the heavens you're alright! Where are you?"

"I'm on Tatooine, Mos Eisley- a public communicator!" Padmé answered. "I need your help! Heartkiller has gone to eliminate his target alone."

"Stay where you are!" Obi-Wan instructed, boarding his vessel and sending some instructions to R4. "I'm coming to get you, and I'll send him some backup."

He disconnected the call, cursing himself for not thinking of Tatooine earlier. But was Anakin truly ignorant enough to think he could take down the Emperor alone? Or was it possible that something had happened to cause Lord Vader to reemerge? Regardless, this was their opportunity.

Lifting off, he placed a call to Mon Mothma and explained the situation.

"What if he doesn't want our help?" Mon asked. "If he isn't the man you think he is, he could turn on us and kill us all."

"I know, but that's a risk we need to take," said Obi-Wan. "He's our only real chance of taking down the emperor. Patch me through to Firmus- he'll have better luck reaching him and talking some sense into him."

"Hold on," Mon replied as the line went silent for a couple minutes. Then, "There's no response."

"What?" said Obi-Wan, his distress growing by the minute.

"There's no response from Piett," Mon explained. "It appears that the line he gave us to reach him is no longer connected. Is it possible we've been duped?"

"I don't know," Obi-Wan answered, "but I think our best move is to evacuate the base just in case. I'll contact you as soon as I know more."

The Jedi set his course for the Outer Rim, desperately wishing he had listened to his friends and invested in a faster ship.

* * *

Piett's hands shook as he answered the incoming call on one of his many personal communicators (well, before a couple had been destroyed in the Emperor's fury) from his cell at the Imperial Palace, two guards clad in red listening in.

"This is Piett," he announced, hoping desperately that it wasn't Vader.

"Piett, it's Vader," the deep voice snapped, his worst fears confirmed. One of the guards exited the cell.

"Vader," Piett continued, clearing his throat. "It's good to hear from you."

"Listen, I need your help," his former leader replied. "Are the troops still loyal to me, as you say?"

"Yes, yes, they are," Piett replied, closing his eyes in shame of what he was about to do to a man who he'd begun to consider his friend.

"Good, because my plan is a go. Meet me at Space Port 13 in twelve standard hours to discuss specifics. Come alone," Vader instructed.

"Location confirmed. Piett out," Piett affirmed, ending the call and handing the communicator back to the guard.

The Emperor entered his cell, lips turned up in a deathly smirk. "You have done well, Piett," he sneered. "It appears that you will be spending some time away from this cell. I am truly glad we kept you alive."

Piett moaned as he hung his head in his hands, the pain of Sith lightning still radiating throughout his body. "Yes, my Lord," he responded. "It will be done."

* * *

Obi-Wan landed his speeder on the outskirts of the Lars' moisture farm, where, as he anticipated, Padmé was waiting for him clad in simple desert garb.

"Oh, Obi-Wan!" she shouted, throwing her arms around him. "Please help him!"

"It will be alright, Padmé," he replied, returning her hug. "But first, you must tell me what happened. Do you know where Anakin has gone?"

Padmé pulled away and Obi-Wan resisted the urge to wipe away the tears that flowed down her cheeks.

"Did he hurt you?" Obi-Wan gasped.

"No," Padmé answered quickly, clearing up his concern. "Not physically."

"Let's go inside," the Jedi suggested. "I think I should like to see Shmi, and perhaps we can all talk this over and figure out the best course of action."

Padmé nodded and he followed her to the hut, praying that their information would allow him to reach Anakin in time.

* * *

Vader waited impatiently in the back corner of the hangar of Space Port 13, watching Imperial mechanics fixing broken ships without giving him a second glance. The black robes he had "borrowed" from a traveler reminded him of his old uniform.

Finally, Piett appeared, and Vader turned away from him into a corridor that led outside, signaling for him to follow.

"You're late," Vader growled when they had reached a reasonably concealed location on his chosen platform."

"I apologize, my Lord," Piett responded. "I was a bit tied up."

Vader looked Piett up and down, noticing that he looked different. Wrong. His skin was paler, and he had lost weight. And his palms were oily, shining with sweat…

"How are you handling the pressure of your new position?" Vader asked.

"Fine, my Lord," Piett replied. "Not as well as you did, I suppose."

"I see," Vader continued. "Have you had much contact with the Emperor?"

"Not much," Piett responded with a noticeable gulp. Vader glanced at his left ear, where a tiny, barely noticeable earpiece was attached, feeding him instructions and recording his every word.

 _I'm being set up._

"That's good to hear," said Vader, resuming his walk with Piett falling into step beside him. He casually moved closer to a fighter ship with no crew aboard, but appeared to be in solid condition. "What do you think of this ship, Piett?"

"I'm sorry?" his former officer replied.

"What do you think of it?" Vader asked again. "The paint looks fresh, the engine in top shape, but the dashboard controls might betray its appearance. I'd like to have a look."

Vader stepped on the footrest, pushing himself up into the open cockpit.

"Please don't do that," said Piett, his voice cracking.

Vader glanced around the platform from his newly elevated position and witnessed Stormtroopers approaching rapidly from multiple directions.

"I'm sorry, Piett," Vader responded as he pressed the "power" button, the glass bubble closing around him as troopers fired their guns. He lifted the ship and focused all his energy on the sky, anticipating Imperial fighters on his tail at any minute. As much as he hated to admit it to himself, Padmé had been right.

 _Damn you, Sidious_ , Vader shouted, opening up his Force bond with his former Master for just a moment. _Damn you!_

* * *

 **Hello everyone! As usual, I have not forgotten this story. I know that updates have been horribly slow, but real life does unfortunately have its priorities. I still read your reviews and have no plans to abandon this story. Thanks so much to my new followers and everyone that has been with me since Chapter 1. I am truly blessed to have such wonderful and patient readers. I will not give you a timeframe as to when the next chapter will be uploaded, but I can say that it will probably be closer to the summer months.**

 **Best regards,**

 **Lyanna**


	27. The Rise of Vader

Rage. Darkness. Hatred.

The emotions swirled through Vader as he danced around the flames, practicing his saber tactics with nothing but hot air to counter his blows.

 _How could I have been so stupid?_

It was because he was weak. He had grown weak these past few months with _her_. He had allowed himself to lose track of his true purpose and the goal he'd set for himself over a decade ago. The Light Side would be of no assistance to him in his quest.

Vader made his way across a rickety bridge to the abandoned Separatist council chambers. He remembered when his master had assigned him the order to execute them. How pleasurable and satisfying it had been to murder the powerless Viceroy with his own hands!

He had chosen Mustafar as his training spot not only for the isolation, but for the protection it provided himself and Padmé. He was certain that she would have reached out to her rebel friends shortly after his departure and he had no desire to negotiate with them at the moment. He was a Sith Lord- he didn't need their help. Regardless, returning to Tatooine have brought great danger upon her and his mother if the Emperor were to successfully track him down.

With no way to contact his lover, Vader was able to fully concentrate on embracing his power and building up the skills he would need to defeat his master. Their final duel was approaching and Vader had no plans of dying.

He pocketed his glowing red blade and stared out a broken window at the lava below. Vader had never been a fan of fire, not since the Count Dooku incident that left him horribly scarred. But he did not fear the element, for the Sith have no fear. The memory only helped stir up the rage within him.

 _I'm coming for you, Sidious. I'm coming to strike you down._

* * *

Shmi carried a cup of tea to the table for Obi-Wan, who graciously accepted it after the long journey and indulged himself in a gulp or two. This was not a conversation he was looking forward to having.

Feeling Vader's Force signature lingering, Obi-Wan could tell that he had been here, and it had not been long since he'd left. Padmé's eyes were red and puffy, and the silence of the Lars family was disturbing.

"How have you been since the accident, Cliegg?" he began in an effort to break the awkwardness.

"Oh, just fine," Cliegg responded. "I thank the suns every day it was only one sand person and that Owen was there to finish him off for me. Terrible way to lose my leg, but I consider myself fortunate."

Obi-Wan nodded and analyzed each of their faces, trying to determine how much they knew. He sensed confusion, so likely not that much.

"Shmi, do you know where your son has gone?" Obi-Wan started cautiously.

"Don't," Padmé threatened softly.

"She deserves to know, Padmé," Obi-Wan countered. "She is his mother and she could help us."

"If Anakin wanted to tell her, he would have," Padmé snapped, looking him in the eyes. "He had plenty of time to do so during his brief stay here. It is his responsibility, his life- not yours."

Obi-Wan ignored her and proceeded, listening to his gut.

"Have you ever heard of a man called Darth Vader?"

"Vader is notorious, even all the way out here," Owen replied. "It is impossible not to hear of him. Some even say that his origins lie in this part of the galaxy. It would not surprise me. A desolate and painful beginning for a man such as him."

"Did Vader do…that…to my son?" Shmi asked. "You know, the scars and the…missing limbs."

"No," Padmé interjected before Obi-Wan could continue. "Those scars were a result of torture by a Sith Lord called Tyrannus. He was jealous of your son's Force abilities and burned him, but Anakin escaped."

Obi-Wan detected the pain on Shmi's face as she pictured her baby subjected to such darkness. It would be even more difficult to tell her now.

"Shmi, I know you probably still blame me for this, even so many years later," said Obi-Wan, "and you are right to. I promised to keep your son safe and I failed you. I am part of the reason he became what he is."

"And what is that?" asked Shmi.

"This is not a conversation I wanted to have with you," Obi-Wan sighed, "but your son is not Anakin. Deep down, there may be traces of him left, traces that you have seen. But on the surface for more than half his life, he has been Darth Vader."

The room once again fell silent as his companions processed the news before Shmi broke out into violent sobs. Cliegg reached an arm around her, maintaining composure as she gasped for air between each hiccup. Obi-Wan dared not gaze at Padmé.

He had never been more relieved to hear the beeping of his communicator.

"Base to Kenobi! Base to Kenobi!" a voice yelled through the device, which he recognized as belonged to Mon Mothma despite the static interference. It sounded like a plea of desperation.

"Is everything alright?" Obi-Wan asked. "What's going on?"

"Imperial ships are attacking the base!" the rebel leader shouted to him. "I'm trying to evacuate as many as I can, but they're coming in too fast! I was right- we've been betrayed!"

Obi-Wan heard a scream and a crash of some sort before the line went dead. He slammed his fist on the wooden table, cursing himself for leaving his friends alone and unprotected. This was his fault, too. He had convinced them to trust Firmus Piett.

"Excuse me," Obi-Wan announced, keeping his eyes down.

He exited the small home and made his way through the swirling sand to a spot just distant enough where it was still in sight, but too distant for the Lars or Padmé to venture.

Sitting and ignoring the scorching heat radiating through his robes, Obi-Wan slipped into a deep meditation.

* * *

Piett found himself in a tiny cell once again, this time coughing up wads of sticky blood.

 _Surely death must be better than this._

He understood now why Vader was so obedient to the old man. The sort of torture he had to endure would bring even the strongest individual to his breaking point.

And that was exactly what happened.

Piett had reluctantly given away the location of the rebel base on Jakku in exchange for his life, which the Emperor had been all too willing to take from him after his failed mission to retrieve Vader. But he did not know how much longer he would last. Vader was intellectual enough that he would not return again unless he had an infallible plan. And Piett highly doubted that plan would involve his rescue considering that he had set him up. And he had no further information to give to the Emperor should he return, hungry for more.

Piett's days were numbered.

* * *

Vader felt the exhaustion begin to creep up on him after a full day immersed in the Dark Side and retreated to the stolen Imperial ship for a couple hours of rest. Or, at least, as close to rest as he could get.

Vader found himself unable to sleep peacefully without Padmé's presence beside him. He could not love her, but a Sith was surely allowed to lust, right?

And oh, did Vader lust for her. He wanted to hear her moan and scream his name, knowing that he was the source of the pain and the pleasure he was inflicting upon her body. That one night had provided him with the clarity he needed. She wanted Vader, and Vader wanted to kill the Emperor. This was the key to making her happy. She could be a queen again and they could rule the galaxy together.

Vader smiled at this thought. He knew she would resist the idea at first, given her strange love for democracy, but she would warm up to it eventually if she truly loved him. Part of him wished he could fully embrace the Light Side and return her love and affection. For a brief period of time, he almost did. But it wasn't the light that he needed, it was separation from the darkness that made him a slave. His own darkness was acceptable in freedom.

And then there was his mother. He could give her a better life, too. A palace on a planet with no sand and no slavery, surrounded by flowers and oceans and other beautiful things she would like.

But first, he needed to focus on his mission. These thoughts were a distraction. Even in his sleep, Sidious's yellow eyes should be the only think he dreamed of as he drifted off.

 _And saw those eyes, he did. He gazed around the room, which appeared to be the throne room in the Imperial Palace. Four or five guards were dead, likely by his hand. And…was that the body of Obi-Wan Kenobi? He could not tell if he was breathing, but incapacitated on the cold stone floor was enough to make him grin._

 _But wait…there was another saber in his peripheral vision. He swirled to his left and looked down, where he saw a tiny green figure grasping a green sword of light. Though he had never met the Jedi in person, Vader could distinguish that this was Master Yoda, supposedly one of the most powerful of the Jedi Order. Well, he would just have to test that._

 _Sidious cackled in the background, the sound ringing in his ears as he lunged for Yoda. The small creature back flipped away from him and met his lightsaber with an unexpected amount of force from someone so small. Vader had no qualms about this challenge. He would embrace the Dark Side to defeat this Jedi, then unleash its full power upon his Master._

 _Vader, please!_

 _The woman's voice made him step back. It was not a cry of ecstasy as it had been the night he had taken her as his own on Tatooine, but a cry of pain._

 _Vader!_

 _He turned his head to the right, where Padmé cowered in a corner, her clothes disheveled and a blaster in her right hand. She raised it, white-knuckled, pointing it at him. Tears streamed down her perfect cheeks._

 _"Stop it!" she shouted. "I don't want to do this! I love you! Just stop!"_

 _His angel was pointing a gun at him. What had he done to get himself into this situation?_

 _He assessed the room once more. The little green creature was still positioned to his left, ready to strike. Obi-Wan had not stirred. Sidious stood in front of his throne, red lightsaber drawn and grinning with yellow teeth._

 _Vader understood now. He had to make a choice. There was the Light Side, the Dark Side, and, well…Padmé. Of course, he would choose her over anything._

 _But as he took a step to the right, all he heard was her screams as a lightsaber plunged through his stomach._

Vader startled awake, gasping and sweating in the cabin. He was still in the ship on Mustafar. He couldn't help but think this dream was not just a dream, but a vision presented to him by the Force of things to come. A vision he could not let come true.

Regardless ofwhether it had been the Jedi or the Emperor who killed him, something had gone horribly wrong with his plan. This was _his_ battle with Sidious- Padmé was not supposed to be there.

Vader knew what he needed to do. If the Empire had not tracked him down yet, he was probably safe. Finding her and keeping her away from the palace would be the only way to stop his vision from becoming a reality. He would need to ditch this ship.

Ducking beneath the ceilings that were not designed for his height, Vader made his way to the cockpit. He strapped himself into the pilot's seat and felt his elevated heart rate decline. This had always been where he was most comfortable.

 _Where Anakin had been most comfortable, too._

Vader brushed the thought away as he sped off into the atmosphere and beyond into the darkness above him, his path illuminated by distant stars.

* * *

 **Hi everyone! I apologize once again for the lack of updates, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I spent the last couple months in a bit of a slump trying to figure out some stuff in my life. However, everything has worked itself out and I am graduating in December. I have decided to take myself on a different track in grad school and FanFiction is part of what inspired me to do so. You guys have been so supportive and I love reading your stories. I hope to finish mine by the end of this year and appreciate the patience you have shown me as readers along this journey. ~Lyanna**


	28. Off the Grid

Flying low, Vader could sense his presence before he even saw the speeder parked outside the Lars family farm.

 _Obi-Wan._

Vader should have known that he would be the first call Padmé placed in her distressed state upon his departure from Tatooine. Though Vader didn't expect him to still be here after all this time. What have they been doing while he was away? The thought enraged him.

Knowing that he would not be able to maintain a calm stature in the presence of the Jedi, Vader propelled his ship deeper into the desert. He had traded his stolen Imperial vehicle on Corellia to a sketchy dealer called Feng who specialized in transporting pirated goods and keeping the transporters of said goods off the radar. Vader, of course, had known of his existence for years, but had never taken the initiative to shut down the operation, as it did not interfere with the day-to-day business of the Empire nor did it have any affiliation with the Rebellion. When Feng was able to provide him with a nondescript ship that would suit his current needs, no questions asked, Vader commended his former decision to keep the operation up and running.

 _Heartkiller was from Corellia._

But Vader was not Heartkiller. Or Anakin. He was Vader…right?

He pulled up outside a cave and popped out of the speeder, cursing when pieces of sand leapt from the ground in the ship's wake and landed in his shoes.

 _And now we wait._

Vader counted less than ten minutes before the dreaded speeder pulled up, maintaining an approximate distance of three hundred feet or so from his own. He leaned against the outer wall that marked the opening of the cave, crossing his arms in impatient anticipation of the Jedi's approach.

Obi-Wan slowly closed the gap between the pair and paused at a distance of fifty feet or so. He did not draw his lightsaber or any other weapons he may have concealed in his robes.

"Vader," Obi-Wan began with a slight nod.

Vader did not return the gesture of acknowledgment and jumped right to the point, desperate to make his escape from the planet before the situation escalated.

"I'm here with a warning for Padmé," Vader stated, pacing back and forth to avoid eye contact with his former master. "And for yourself, for that matter. I'm sure she has informed you that I am on a mission and I must ask you not to intervene."

"And why is that?" Obi-Wan asked.

"It's for your own good," Vader responded, clenching his teeth. "I have seen things, a vision of sorts. If you follow me to the Imperial palace, things will not end well for any of us."

"And if you go alone?" the Jedi persisted.

"Then Padmé is safe," Vader argued.

Silence fell for several moments before the Jedi spoke again.

"I could help you control these visions of death," Obi-Wan stated. "I know it is impossible to dissuade you from your mission, but I can teach you to utilize the Light Side in your battle."

"I don't need your help!" Vader spat. "Only darkness can fight darkness."

Vader was stunned when the Jedi moved closer.

"I've used this cave as a hideout on many occasions," Obi-Wan continued. "When you and your army were hunting the Jedi survivors. It served its purpose well, seeing that I am still alive."

"You won't be for much longer if you dare to remind me of my failures," Vader growled. "And I seem to recall the last time I saw you, you were adamant to slash me open."

"And the last time I saw you, one of your admirals had just arrived at our base," said Obi-Wan. "Firmus Piett led a very convincing argument that he was on your side, whatever side that may be, and that he was there to offer us assistance. The Imperial army did indeed come, but they did not come as friends. They destroyed the base and I have received no further transmissions from any allies. Dead, I'm assuming, or prisoners of war."

"Admiral Piett has been captured and tortured by the Emperor," Vader elaborated. "He betrayed me, as well. Sidious has very…persuasive tactics of getting what he wants."

"I see," Obi-Wan replied. "Do you think the troops would still show loyalty to you if you reached out to them?"

"That is precisely what I plan to do," Vader continued, "not that it is any of your business. My men are the only allies I need in this journey."

Vader brushed past the Jedi and stalked toward his speeder. He could see a volatile sandstorm beginning to rise in the distance.

"Give Padmé my best!" he shouted back. "Tell her I'll return for her soon."

"And who will you be returning as?" Obi-Wan asked.

Vader ignored him and boarded his ship. He would need to move fast if he were to outrun the storm. He cursed himself for missing yet another opportunity to kill the Jedi who abandoned him as a boy. He was growing soft.

Starting his engines, Vader considered the plan which the Jedi had unknowingly given to him. He had not thought of still using the Stormtroopers as allies. He assumed his original plan was no longer viable considering the troopers' behavior back at the space port, but perhaps it was indeed an option. His new plan was a less organized, covert operation. Sneak in through the back, slay the Emperor on his own, and take his rightful place on the throne. But an army could possibly be of assistance, especially since he no longer possessed the element of surprise. Sidious knew he was coming and would be able to sense him the second he entered the atmosphere of Coruscant.

Vader's eyes were growing weary, but Tatooine was not the proper place for a couple hours of sleep. He wanted to sleep with her. She was nearby, so close that he could almost feel her. He craved the feeling of her.

 _Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if I indulged in one last night just in case things take a turn for the worse…but not with him around._

He pulled up alongside the hut and waited. Sure enough, his angel appeared. The desert life was not suitable for her beauty.

Vader jumped down from the ship and used her tight embrace of him to hoist her into the cockpit.

"What the hell are you doing?" Padmé shouted.

Vader returned to the pilot's seat and closed the door and roof.

"Taking you home," he answered, leaving a trail of dust in his wake.

* * *

Padmé was not the least bit silent for the first part of their journey. She expressed her joy and gratitude at Vader's gesture to return to Naboo, but reprimanded him for leaving her in a vulnerable state. She feared that he was still unaware of how much he meant to her despite her efforts. Perhaps this trip was his way of changing his mind or showing an interest in embracing the Light Side. She was not sure how his conversation with Obi-Wan had played out, but he assured her that there was no fighting, injuries, or death that resulted and she was inclined to believe him.

Padmé stopped mid-sentence as she was recounting a particularly funny conversation between Cliegg and Beru when Vader switched the ship into autopilot.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he rose from his seat.

"We're in a relatively safe part of the galaxy," Vader responded. "Very few Imperial patrols in this area. I need to sleep. Wake me up in two hours."

Padmé's frustration was increasing at the lack of details he was providing her, or rather, not providing her.

"You have to give me something!" she exclaimed. "You've been gone for weeks! I was scared you were dead! Where were you?"

"I'm exhausted, Padmé," Vader grunted.

Before she could protest, he had already drifted off. She decided to use the time to place a call to her parents. The ship's communication system was neither an Imperial line nor a rebel line, so she figured it would not be monitored. Once again, Vader had demonstrated his cunning ability to keep off the grid.

The last time Padmé had been this relieved to see her parents' holograms was in Vader's bedroom aboard his starship. How far they had come since then.

"Padmé!" they exclaimed in unison upon connection.

"It's been so long since we've heard from you," her father continued. "You need to keep in touch more often. These are dangerous times."

If only they knew what she'd been up to lately.

"I know, Dad," Padmé replied. "That's why I'm coming home."

"Why, that's wonderful, sweetheart!" her mother exclaimed in response. "When will you be arriving?"

"Probably a day or so," Padmé answered.

She deliberating warning them about Vader, but decided against it.

"Well, be careful," her father cautioned. "The Imperial presence on Naboo has declined significantly in the past couple years, but you can never be too careful. Rumor has it Vader is no longer in command, perhaps even deceased, but I'm sure you knew that already!"

"He's not dead, Dad," Padmé replied. "I'm fine and I'll explain when I get there."

Her mother's face molded into a sort of hesitation before she spoke.

"Alright, we'll have a nice dinner planned for your arrival. I'm sure your sister and the kids will be delighted to see you."

"No!" Padmé shouted, glancing over to make sure she had not woken Vader with her sudden outburst. "I mean, not on the first night. I'm bringing someone with me and I want him to meet you first. Without children around."

 _How would Vader act around children? Do I want to know?_

"My goodness, this is certainly a surprise!" her mother continued, her expression now a combination of shock and glee. "A romantic someone, I'm assuming?"

Padmé grimaced. Her parents had always pressured her into paying more attention to the romantic side of life. Now that she finally had, what would they think of her? I mean, they didn't have to know he was Vader, or even Anakin. He could just be a very scarred, very tall and brooding gentleman from Corellia.

 _With yellow eyes and a lightsaber._

"In a manner of speaking," said Padmé. "It's complicated. I'll be home soon. Just try to keep an open mind."

"As long as you're happy, we'll be happy," her father responded with a blank expression. "See you soon, darling."

Padmé ended the transmission and debated how to spend the remaining hour and forty-two minutes before she could wake Vader. He appeared so peaceful in his sleep. One would never know who he was and the things he had seen in his lifetime. There was even a trace of a smile on his lips as his chest moved up and down in rhythmic, fluid motions. She wondered how he could sleep every night without nightmares of his days as a brutal murdering beast.

Thirty-two minutes of idle stargazing later, she noticed an object approaching. At first she thought it was an asteroid that the autopilot would dodge, but as it grew closer, Padmé's heart stopped for a moment in utter terror.

"Vader!" she yelled, shaking his massive body with as much force as she could manage.

"What?" he mumbled, clearly unhappy that his sleep had been interrupted. She briefly wondered when he'd last slept.

"There's an Imperial cruiser headed straight for us!" Padmé cried, trying not to hyperventilate as she continued shaking him until he bolted to the pilot's seat.

"Strap in," he ordered, and she did.

The ship veered sharply to the left and the cruiser followed. A transmission came across through the communicator on the dashboard.

"This is Imperial patrol ship 4027," the officer on the other end declared. "You are traveling in an unmarked, unregistered vehicle. Identify yourself."

"Unmarked ship to 4027," Vader stated. "Two humans on board here. Recreational travel in a rented vehicle."

"Please state your name, planet of origin, and destination," the officer replied, the cruiser approaching their tail.

"John Heartkiller, Corellia, destination…Space Port 79 for a connection on public transit," Vader replied, keeping their course straight.

The line went silent for a moment before the officer resumed.

"I have no record of any Heartkillers anywhere in the Corellia region of the galaxy, and you are heading in the wrong direction for Space Port 79. I'm going to have to ask you to please turn around and board the cruiser for inspection."

Vader smashed the communicator.

"To hell with this!" he shouted. "Hold on, Padmé."

With an impressive amount of agility, Vader shifted the gears in the cockpit and burst into lightspeed at a pace that gave Padmé an intense wave of nausea. She was determined not to have a repeat of the escape pod incident and maintained focus on a solid point ahead to cure the dizziness until they emerged.

"Did we lose them?" Padmé asked, breathing heavily.

"For now," Vader answered, "but they won't be far behind. We're closer to Naboo, but I don't want to lead them directly there. We'll need to stop somewhere and change vehicles or take public transit."

"We can't take public transit- they ask for ID and you don't have one," Padmé pointed out, surprised that Vader was unaware of this procedure.

"I'll figure it out," he responded, stress lines forming on his face. "Do you recognize that planet up ahead?"

Padmé turned her eyes in the direction of his glance.

"Yes, but we'll find nothing of assistance there," she stated. "Widow is a barren wasteland- a dumping place for people's junk"

"Perfect," Vader replied. "I can fix up a junker in no time and scavengers are of less threat to us than the Empire."

"So you're not part of the Empire anymore, then?" Padmé asked hopefully.

"Very soon, Padmé," Vader responded, "I will _be_ the Empire."


	29. Trash and Treasures

Padmé glanced back as Vader exited the cockpit and headed toward the back of the ship after a bumpy landing on the wasteland of Widow.

"What are you doing?" she asked, unstrapping herself from the passenger's seat.

Vader returned with a full space suit, complete with a helmet and oxygen tank. It was a crude shade of reddish-orange, similar to the color of the atmosphere of this wretched place.

"I tested the air quality on our way to the surface and it is definitely not breathable," Vader responded. "I don't know what your people are dumping here, but this is the most polluted planet I've ever set foot on. I'll leave the ship running for you so you'll have some clean air circulating."

"Hold up!" Padmé exclaimed, rising from her seat. "I'm coming with you."

She detected a sigh from Vader, or perhaps a growl of discontent.

"I work better alone," he stated, stepping into the suit. "Besides, the smell is likely to be profusely terrible even through the helmet, and I know you have a tendency for nausea."

"I don't care," Padmé argued, proceeding to the back of the ship to search for a suit of her own. She wasn't about to let him out of her sight for one minute, even if that meant a trek over piles of rotting trash. It couldn't be worse than their deadly journey through the snow on Hoth. She found herself smiling as she thought of the time they had spent together there. It had been so peaceful, for the most part, without interference from the Empire or the Rebellion. Who would've thought she'd be yearning to be back on a frozen world eating ice fish every day?

Stepping out the door and activating her tank, Padmé almost barfed. She thought the suit would have masked the scent better than it did. And if the smell wasn't already horrific, the sight of being surrounded on all sides with endless piles of garbage certainly was. She looked down and kicked a twelve-legged brown bug that had been trying to crawl on her boot. It scurried away.

Padmé hurried, hopping over rotting food scraps and wooden boards, to catch up with Vader. She paused upon noticing a pile of familiar bricks.

 _The Theed Royal Palace._

She reached out and glazed her glove over one of them, remembering the attack by the Empire. She had not been there to witness it, but she had viewed the aftermath. The palace was in ruins. It had since been rebuilt, but here laid the remains of a Republic that once was. Of her home as a child queen.

Ahead, Padmé noticed Vader examining one of the many abandoned and clearly not functional speeders in the junkyard. She collected some pieces of scrap metal that might be useful for him and made her way over.

"Is this thing even going to run?" she asked, skeptical.

"Not for very long," Vader replied, tinkering with the ancient engine, "but it will be enough to get us from here to Naboo in one piece."

She set the scrap metal down beside him and he grunted, which she took as his way of expressing gratitude.

"Anything I can do to help?" Padmé inquired.

"No," he answered bluntly.

Padmé, though slightly annoyed, allowed him the space he needed to work and explored the waste. She stumbled upon yet another familiar piece of something from her past, but she couldn't quite place it. It was the bottom half of a blue and white droid, rusty with one of its legs missing. The wires on top were exposed and tangled.

 _Who was this droid?_

She made it her mission for the next several hours to search for the missing parts of the droid, eventually acquiring everything she needed within the vicinity of where she had found the bottom half. She reattached the leg herself, but the arms and top half she would need Vader's assistance with.

Padmé jumped as the man himself appeared.

"Do you like him?" Vader asked.

"Yes," Padmé replied, hesitant to reveal her possible connection to the droid to Vader.

"Well, let's see what we can do, shall we?" Vader replied, picking up the droid with an impressive amount of strength. Padmé followed him to the junk speeder…which was running.

"I can't believe you actually did it…" she noted, running her hand along the side. "You continue to amaze me, Ana- uh, Vader."

Vader appeared to ignore her slip-up as he strapped the droid to the top of the vehicle and helped her step aboard. As soon as the hatch was sealed, they removed their suits. Padmé coughed, her hand moving to block her nose of the stench.

"I warned you not to go out there," said Vader, rising off the ground slowly and flying in slow circles to test the ship's capability before taking it into space.

"I'm fine," Padmé countered. "I just need to wash off before we see my parents. Preferably sometime soon."

That appeared to be Vader's cue that Padmé trusted the quality of the speeder, as he rose into the atmosphere and turned the gears to full power. It was certainly not very fast, but as Vader had said, it would get them as far as Naboo.

* * *

"Land next to that lake," Padmé instructed as they approached the planet's surface just two hours later. "It's far enough away from the city that no one will notice us, and I think you need a quick rinse, as well."

 _Not like anyone would notice us if we landed on top of the damn palace._

Vader was incredibly disappointed in the Imperial security, or lack thereof, as they approached and entered the planet. Not a single communication came through asking them to identify themselves. This would certainly be something to take care of when he regained control of the Empire.

"There's a house there," Vader pointed out as they got closer to the lake. "Probably not the most ideal spot to land, Padmé."

"My family owns that house," she replied. "It's called Varykino."

"I thought you wanted to clean up first before meeting your family," said Vader.

"Oh, no one lives there," Padmé explained. "We just own it."

 _Of course she does._

The house itself emitted a strong sense of the Light Side, as if the whole thing was filled with and surrounded by happy and jolly memories. It irritated Vader, who was still reluctant to land. She was right, though- the farther they were from civilization, the better off they would be until they could adequately clean themselves up and Vader could find something to hide his scars.

He brought the ship to a halt several yards from the lake and watched as Padmé eagerly jumped from the ship and breathed in the air of her home. He wondered how long it had been since she had been able to do so, and a small part of him felt guilty that she was forced into hiding so many years ago because of him.

Vader followed Padmé to the water's edge, where she had begun taking off her shoes and letting the curls of her long hair fall loose down her back.

 _Force, she is beautiful._

Padmé turned her head around with a playful smile.

"Don't look," she said, beginning to strip herself of the bland and tattered Tatooine garb.

"No guarantees," Vader responded. She giggled.

Vader's eyes perused her perfect, naked body as she dived into the water. She knew he lusted for her. She was teasing him, and Vader did not like being teased.

"Coming?" Padmé shouted, treading water.

Vader gritted his teeth and reached out to the Force to will away the discomfort he felt at allowing himself to be so exposed in broad daylight. He removed his boots and socks, feeling the disgusting, coarse sand between his toes, followed by his shirt and lastly, his pants. He thought he saw Padmé's eyes widen after he performed this last step, which gave him a deep sense of satisfaction.

Vader was glad that Padmé had waited for him in a spot that was shallow enough for him to stand, as he was not an excellent swimmer. He had never needed to do so, and therefore did not feel the need to waste his time learning.

Vader pulled her close to him and held her up, as she was not tall enough to touch the bottom. She wrapped her legs around him and leaned her head onto his chest.

"Don't leave me again," she whispered.

Vader winced, knowing that he would have to do so in just a few short days, perhaps even tomorrow, and decided to hold off on mentioning this detail to her until absolutely necessary.

Vader traced his flesh hand along the outline of Padmé's cheeks and down the side of her body. She closed her eyes and moaned gently.

Yes, this was most definitely what he wanted.

Unable to contain his lust any longer, he tilted her chin upward and crashed his lips into hers, a gesture which she eagerly returned. He felt her fingernails gently scratch up and down his back and he trailed his kisses down her neck.

Vader brought his eyes back up to meet hers for a moment, waiting for her permission.

"Yes," she whispered softly with a smile.

She gasped as he made his next move and Vader knew he had made the right decision to have this one last night.

* * *

The lovers let the sun evaporate the water from their bodies as they climbed a seemingly endless amount of stairs to the lakeside entrance of the Varykino mansion. Padmé's pleasure from their encounter in the lake faded as soon as she realized that she did not have a key in her possession. She glanced up at Vader, who flawlessly used the Force to unlock the massive set of doors and push it inward. She hadn't seen him use the Force in a while, and had to admit that she missed it.

"There should be some clothes scattered in the closets around here," Padmé stated. "I'll try to find something that will be large enough for you, but my father and my brother-in-law aren't quite as tall."

She gasped in shock as Vader reeled her back into him.

"No clothes yet," he whispered, kissing her forehead.

"We have to go see my parents," Padmé protested, "and that requires clothes."

"There's no rush on that," Vader countered. "Let's stay here, just me and you. At least for the night."

Padmé had to admit that his offer was tempting, and grew frustrated at the amount of power he had over her body and her mind.

"Alright," she found herself saying, "but just one night. Let me at least call my parents and let them know we'll be there tomorrow."

Vader nodded and released her, and she headed up more stairs to the bedrooms to search for suitable garb. Suddenly, her stomach growled, and she realized that they hadn't eaten at all that day due to the lack of fresh food on Widow. She quickly changed into an old turquoise dress from her teenage years and brought the largest pants and shirt from her brother-in-law's closet that she could find downstairs for Vader, who had retrieved the broken droid from the speeder and was now tinkering with it in a spare room.

"I thought we agreed no clothes," he said with an edge of disappointment.

"We need to eat something," Padmé replied, tossing the outfit to him. "Let me see if there's anything left in the cabinets. I'm not sure how long it's been since my family was here."

As Padmé searched through the stock of nonperishables and decided on traditional Naboo noodles, she placed a brief call to update her parents, careful not to mention that they were already on the planet. When the call was complete, she turned to notice Vader lurking behind her again.

"Stop doing that," she commanded, startled, as she gathered her cooking supplies. It had been a terribly long time since she had cooked anything, and hoped she still possessed enough skills to make something edible.

"I was thinking it might not be such a good idea for me to come along on this visit to your parents' place," he noted. "If they figure out who I am, that won't be good for anyone."

"They won't," Padmé responded. "And if they do, they'll just have to respect that there's a different side to you than the one everyone else sees and that I truly, deeply love you."

She gulped as Vader did not return her sentiment.

"Padmé, I…" he began before she interrupted him.

"Are we really back to this again?" Padmé asked, trying to contain her emotions.

"You know how I feel about you," Vader answered. "I just can't love you. It's not in my nature. At least, the type of love that you're looking for."

"Yes, you can!" Padmé exclaimed, a tear trailing down her cheek. "I've seen it! You're a good person."

"No, I'm not!" Vader shouted. Padmé could see glimmers of yellow rising in his eyes and began to grow frightened. "I am not a good person and I can at least accept now that you love me. I can lust for you and tell you honestly that you are everything I have ever wanted and you don't know how much pain that causes me! You are a weakness and I can't allow that to progress any farther. I physically cannot love you."

Padmé turned away, sniffling.

"I don't believe you," she mumbled. Had she really just given this person her body and her heart, only to have it shattered yet again?

"You have to," Vader replied. "You need to believe me because it's the truth."

"Prove it!" Padmé screamed, whirling around to face him again.

"Fine!" Vader yelled back. "Marry me!"

Padmé dropped her kitchen knife and stared, gaping, at the figure of rage that made its way closer to her. The glowing yellow eyes and the mechanical hand that was reaching out to grab her shoulder. Surely she hadn't heard this man correctly?

Vader's other hand, the flesh one, took hold of one of her own, but this didn't ease the trembling.

"Padmé Naberrie Amidala," he whispered in a tone that sent chills down her spine. "Will you marry me?"

* * *

 **Hi, friends! Sorry it's been so long again and progression on this story is slow, but thanks for sticking with it. It's weird to think I started this my sophomore year of college…feels like it was just yesterday! Let me know in the reviews if you're still enjoying the Vadmé fluff. -Lyanna**


	30. Two Halves

"Padmé Naberrie Amidala, will you marry me?"

Vader couldn't believe those words had slipped out. Marriage? Certainly he didn't care for Padmé enough to devote his entire life to her! Which is why he was mildly relieved when she shouted in response…

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FREAKING MIND?!"

Vader attempted to tune out the remainder of her meltdown, but picked up on key words such as "lunatic" and "madman".

"So, I take it, that's a no?" he responded when Padmé's rant had concluded.

"No!" she replied. "I mean, yes! No!"

"Is that a yes or a no?" Vader asked, squeezing her hand while she made a valiant effort to pull it away.

"It's a no!" Padmé answered.

Vader relented and released his grasp. He watched as she fiddled with knobs and dials, pots and pans, immersing herself in cooking to avoid him.

"I believe I am, at least, owed an explanation," Vader remarked.

Padmé did not face him, but continued stirring the noodles as she responded.

"Because, Lord Vader, marriage, by definition, is the union of two souls who love each other unconditionally. You don't love me, so I can't marry you."

"It's not that I don't love you, Padmé," Vader rebuked. "It's that I can't…"

"Yes, you can't love me because you're a Sith and Sith Lords don't feel love and fuel their Force powers on hatred," Padmé interrupted. "I've heard this before."

Vader rose to join her at the stove, noticing her tense at his approach.

"But you're changing me, Padmé," he insisted, tilting her chin up to face him. "And I think you've seen that. You've seen the conflict within me and through all of that, the only thing that hasn't changed are my feelings for you. I am darkness and you are light, yet you do not burn me. You help me bring balance to the Force."

Vader tried helplessly to read her expression. Grief? Perhaps, denial? A bit of anger? It wasn't exactly the response he had been hoping for.

"I will marry you in a heartbeat the day you know who you are," Padmé finally replied. "In order for two halves to be a whole, each half must be whole on its own."

Vader dropped his hand.

"And if my decision is Vader?" he asked.

"Then I will be Padmé Naberrie Amidala Vader," she answered.

"You are aware of the consequences that come with that?" Vader prompted. "Like participating as a high-ranking official in a system of government that you firmly oppose."

"And how exactly are you planning on becoming such a high-ranking official again?" Padmé inquired, draining the water from the pot. "Last I heard, most of the galaxy thinks you're dead and the Emperor is still alive."

Vader knew he could not reveal anything to her that would suggest he was still pursuing his plan. He chose his words carefully.

"Well, he won't be alive forever," Vader responded. "And that makes me heir to the Empire by default."

"You seriously think the people will accept your miraculous reemergence from the dead?" Padmé questioned. "And you wouldn't even consider instituting a new system of government if that were to happen?"

Vader gritted his teeth as Padmé portioned the noodles.

"The Republic does not work, Padmé," Vader responded. "My hatred for the Emperor is overpowering, but democracy is also flawed."

"I agree that every system has its flaws," Padmé continued, handing a bowl of noodles to him. "But the Empire is a reign of terror. You refer to the rebels and resistance movements as the "terrorists", yet your people kill more creatures in a day than every Republic supporter has in their lifetimes combined. Do you call that peace?"

"I don't call it peace," Vader replied, taking a hearty bite of the plain meal, which was light years better than anything he'd eaten in the past few weeks. "I call it order."

Padmé took a seat at the mahogany kitchen table and gestured for Vader to join her. He found it comical that after all this time on the run living in desolate places, she still felt the need to eat her meals at a table.

"Well, perhaps there can be some sort of in-between system that maintains both peace and order," Padmé suggested. "A…balance."

Vader smirked as she threw his own words back at him.

"Yes, a balance," he remarked, finishing the remainder of his helping in under a minute before taking a seat beside her.

Padmé finished chewing and placed her utensil beside the half-finished bowl.

"Then yes," she said, her eyes raising to meet his. "If you are Vader, I will still marry you."

"So…that's a yes, then?" Vader asked again, his heart racing as fast as if he were engaged in a major battle.

"Yes," Padmé confirmed, taking his hands in hers. "When the day comes, I will be Padmé Naberrie Amidala Heartkiller Skywalker Vader or whatever you decide, because I love you and we can make this work."

Vader almost neglected to consider her lean stature as he embraced her, reeling her in for a violent kiss. He couldn't help but feel a searing pain in his gut and chest, as if his body was rejecting the emotions he knew he was feeling. His burn scars tingled and his metal fingers latched together.

 _Oh Padmé, what are you doing to me?_

* * *

Padmé slowly blinked her eyes open to view a patch of sunlight entering through the draperies. She oriented herself, realizing that she was in her childhood vacation bedroom…with Vader sleeping soundly beside her. She placed her head in her hands, processing the events of the previous evening.

 _Did I really agree to marry him?_

She washed and dressed herself in traditional Naboo garb from her closet, which thankfully had a wide selection of clothing available for all occasions. One perk of being a child queen was getting spoiled with a massive wardrobe that overflowed from her parents' house.

When she returned to the bedroom, Vader was awake and clothed, positioned on the side of the bed. He gestured for her to come to him and she hesitantly obeyed.

"Are you going to try to seduce me again?" Padmé asked as he pulled her onto his lap. "Because we actually do need to see my parents today."

"If you insist," Vader replied, "but I do have a surprise for you."

The blue and white droid rolled into the bedroom, clean as new and chirping in delight. Padmé bolted to it.

"When did you have time to do this?" she exclaimed.

"You don't seriously think I sleep all night?" Vader responded, joining her and crouching to examine the droid. "He says his name is R2D2, but I still need to make some repairs on the memory card to figure out his story."

R2D2…the name sounded so familiar to Padmé.

And just like that, it clicked.

Padmé gasped and jumped back. This was the droid from Tatooine, the first time she met Anakin. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had brought it along, and it accompanied Obi-Wan from time-to-time in his younger years. She wondered how it had ended up as a pile of scraps on Widow…

"What's wrong?" Vader asked, breaking her trance.

"Nothing," Padmé answered shaking her head. "Just…I know this droid."

"Strange, it looks oddly familiar to me, as well," Vader chimed in, the good half of his forehead wrinkling in puzzlement. "Do you know whereabouts you have met him before?"

Padmé debated reminding him of the day they met, but she doubted he would remember that. He had repressed all his childhood memories to become this dark monster. And besides, any reference to Obi-Wan would likely not be ideal for his mental state at the moment.

"I'm not sure," she replied, "but you'll figure it out."

She didn't know if Vader bought her lie, but if he hadn't, he decided not to question it.

"Well, let's go, then," he prompted. "Time to introduce your parents to your fiancée, the evil killing machine that was solely responsible for the destruction of the beloved system of government on their lovely planet."

Padmé was suddenly very nervous. Very, incredibly, supremely nervous.

* * *

Obi-Wan once again found himself standing in the middle of the desert, this time transmitting a holo communication to Master Yoda after finding out that Vader had, yet again, kidnapped an all-too-willing Padmé.

"Good to hear from you, it is," Yoda began. "A long time, it has been."

"Indeed, it has," Obi-Wan agreed. "But I fear that my message to you is not good tidings. It is time, Master Yoda. And I need your help."

Obi-Wan filled in Master Yoda on every detail of his journey and the Anakin/Vader debacle. He was surprised at the calmness which Yoda portrayed at the receipt of the information. Then, came Yoda's response.

"Find Skywalker, we must. Save him from the Dark Side, we can. Shown this to me, the Force has. Stop him from facing the Emperor, we must."

* * *

The Emperor spat off the side of his throne in disgust and frustration. He had assembled his top admirals and lieutenants in the throne room, or, at least, what was left of them after he had slaughtered the ones who failed him.

"I thought he would come to us," Sidious sneered, mostly to himself.

It pained him that he had waited so long for Vader, only for Vader to never appear. Coward.

"We must find him," the Emperor continued. "Assemble your fleets. Search every corner of the galaxy. Every planet, every city, every island, every desolate space of uncharted land. I want Vader found and brought to me, alive. Is that clear?"

"Yes, my lord!" the soldiers chimed in unison, standing to attention.

Sidious chuckled at how all of them shook in their boots in utter fear of his power.

"Go!" he shouted. "Get out!"

The men hurried from the room, hoping they could keep their lives for another day or two. Somehow, somewhere, the Emperor would find Vader. And he would make him suffer for his betrayal.

And then he would kill him. Slowly and painfully. With nothing but his bare hands and the raw power of the Dark Side.

* * *

 **I'm back…and finally a college graduate! That means I have no more homework ever and ample spare time to spend on this site! (Yay!) This was a bit of a shorter chapter, but you deserve an update as loyal followers that have stuck with me and this story for the past two years. Please continue to leave reviews and let me know what you all thought of TLJ! I'm a little obsessed with it and I think I'm starting to develop a Reylo ship… -Lyanna**


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